


All I want for Christmas is you

by FadedRiddler



Series: A Christmas Story [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, Smut, Whipped Cream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 11:33:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21848989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FadedRiddler/pseuds/FadedRiddler
Summary: "IkindoftoldmyparentsIhaveagirlfriendandnowIneedyoutobemyfakegirlfriend," Emma spits out hurriedly before she can back out. Regina looks at her with an eyebrow raised."What, dear?""I kind of told my parents I have a girlfriend and now I need you to be my fake girlfriend," Emma says slower.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Series: A Christmas Story [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1577893
Comments: 34
Kudos: 538
Collections: favorite swanqueen love stories





	1. Will you be my fake girlfriend?

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by "The Story of it All" by Sage1982.

“Dude, you are so screwed,” Emma’s best friend Ruby says. “Like, so screwed.”

“Yeah, Rubes, I know,” Emma responds and runs a hand through her long blonde hair.

“If Regina doesn’t say yes, which she probably won’t, you’re going to have to tell your parents that you lied to them,” Ruby tells her, like the thought hasn’t occurred to Emma already.

“Thank you, Ruby,” Emma mutters sarcastically as the door opens to the cafe opens. In walks Regina Mills, and Emma’s breath catches in her throat.

Regina Mills is hot. Like _smoking hot._ Her hair is short, black, and perfectly coiffed, and her eyes are a warm brown. Her bright, red lipstick looks great against her unblemished olive skin, and it’s the exact shade of red that the blazer she wears over a black dress is. The dress goes about knee-high and is met by high black boots. She is the definition of perfection, and Emma swears the woman in front of her is a goddess.

“I'll have a medium coffee. Black. For here," Regina orders in a husky and smooth voice. Emma bites her lips as she writes down the order, her heart racing. 

"That'll be $4.30," Emma tells her, and Regina hands over her credit card. She swipes it and hands it back to her, ignoring the sparks she feels when Regina's hand brushes against hers. "It'll be right up." Regina nods and goes to sit down, Emma's eyes never leaving her. Emma's stomach is twisting and turning, and she thinks she's going to be sick. 

"Em, you don't look so good," Ruby says warily, handing Regina's coffee to her. Emma turns to her, fear evident in her eyes. 

"I can't do this, Ruby," Emma whispers. Every year, Emma goes home to see her parents in Storybrooke, Maine. Every year, Emma goes home alone. Every year, Emma has to deal with all the pity looks, and this year, she was done with it. When her mom had called her after Thanksgiving to confirm Emma's yearly trip, Emma had blurted out that she'd met someone, which she hadn't. But her mom had sounded so excited, so Emma kept it up. She didn't realize how screwed she was until her mom had demanded Emma bring her girlfriend. 

Cue the lie about Regina Mills. 

Regina Mills was Emma's college English teacher a few years ago and now is a regular customer at the coffee shop that Emma worked at, always coming in every Tuesday and Thursday morning, during Emma's shifts. Plus, Emma has a raging crush on her. 

And now Emma has to ask Regina to be her fake girlfriend for a week. 

"Emma, you got this! And when she says no, I can always pretend to be her," Ruby offers, and Emma snorts. She had told her parents a lot about her best friend, and had even shown them a picture, so that wasn't going to work. 

Emma takes a deep breath and walks over to Regina's table, her coffee in hand. Regina looks up from a newspaper, surprise etched in her beautiful features. 

"Can I help you, Miss Swan?" she asks, and Emma is almost sweating now. She can't do this. 

"Here's your coffee," Emma tells her and sets down the coffee. Regina takes a sip, and Emma's eyes are drawn to the red lipstick stain on the cup. Regina looks up at her when she realizes Emma hasn't left. 

"Is there something else, Miss Swan?" Regina says dismissively. She's clearly not expecting Emma to plop down in the seat across from her, which is what Emma does. 

"IkindoftoldmyparentsIhaveagirlfriendandnowIneedyoutobemyfakegirlfriend," Emma spits out hurriedly before she can back out. Regina looks at her with an eyebrow raised. 

"What, dear?" 

"I kind of told my parents I have a girlfriend and now I need you to be my fake girlfriend," Emma says slower. 

Regina chuckles before she realizes Emma is serious. "What?" she asks. 

"I lied to my parents and told them that I have a girlfriend. And they're expecting me to bring my girlfriend home for the holidays, but I don't have a girlfriend."

"So you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend," Regina states. Emma shrugs and cracks her fingers, a nervous habit she's always had. "Why me, why not ask anyone else?"

"I don't really have anyone else to ask." It's not a total lie, but Emma really doesn't want to have to tell her that she's had a crush on her for years. 

Regina raises another eyebrow. "What about Miss Lucas? You two were best friends in my class." Emma chews on her tongue. This isn't going to be easy. 

"I've already told my parents about her. About how she's my best friend," Emma says. "And, I kind of mentioned you. By name. So I can't pretend that Ruby and I have started dating." 

Regina purses her lips. "Well, dear, tell them we broke up. I'm not going to give up my holidays just because you lied to mommy and daddy." 

"They'll know I was lying then. Please, I've never brought anyone home for Christmas, and everyone looks at me with pity, and I can't take it anymore," Emma explains and Regina sits forward, her hands clasped on the table. 

"And what would I get out of this?" Regina asks. 

"Is it too much to ask you to do this out of the goodness of your heart?" Emma says, and instantly regrets it when Regina shoots her a pointed look and gets out of the booth. Emma's honestly surprised she made it this long without Regina leaving, but she still doesn't have a girlfriend. "Wait, Regina!" The darker woman whirls around. 

"For me to even consider this offer, I'm going to need a bit more than 'the goodness of my heart'. And did you really think that would work? I am the Evil Queen after all," Regina says sharply before leaving the coffee shop. Apparently she does know about the nickname that her students call her, fairly given as her English class is almost impossible to pass. But Emma had done it, one of the very few in her year. 

"So, Em, how'd it go?" Ruby asks from behind her as she cleans Regina's table with a washcloth. 

Emma groans and smacks her forehead with her hand. She is so screwed. 


	2. Emma Swan's guide to blackmailing

Emma knows exactly where to find Regina on campus at 3 pm in the afternoon. 

Her office is in Mifflin Hall, room 108, and Emma doesn't even knock before opening the door. Regina looks up from the papers in her hand, not alarmed in the slightest, like she was expecting to see Emma. 

"Do you actually have something to offer me, or are you going to try to make another futile appeal to my emotions?" Regina asks. Emma does have something in fact, but she doesn't want to have to use it. 

"What do you want?" Regina smirks, and Emma knows she will not be able to afford whatever price Regina wants. 

"What do you have?" Regina asks, moving to stand dangerously close to Emma, brown eyes meeting green ones. 

It's so hard for Emma to concentrate right now, with Regina's scent of apples and cinnamon wafting toward her. 

"Um, I'll owe you a favor for every day we're there?" They're going for five days, so she will owe Regina five favors, but how bad could she make them? It's not like Regina will make her kill anyone. 

"More," Regina drawls. 

"What else do you want? I feel like I'm making a deal with the devil here, do you want me to sell my soul?" Emma snaps sarcastically, but Regina's eyes darken.

"Now you're talking," Regina says, and Emma would laugh if she wasn't so turned on right now.

Taking Emma's silence as defeat, Regina walks back to her chair. "No deal, Miss. Swan," she decides, and Emma's heart drops. She really didn't want it to come to this. But she needs Regina to come with her. 

"I know about Graham," Emma says, and Regina stiffens slightly in her seat. 

"I don't know what you're talking about, Miss. Swan, but I think you should go," Regina replies calmly. Emma takes out her phone and holds it up for Regina to see. It's a picture of her and Graham Humbert, a current student in Regina's class, kissing in a bar. "Where did you get this?" she snaps, her face going red. 

"I took it," Emma answers. "I don't think the school would be too happy to know that you're sleeping with a student." Emma feels terrible, and she knows she's gone too far. 

"We didn't sleep together. It was a mistake, he came onto me, I had been drinking. I stopped it immediately, and it was only a kiss. It happened awhile ago," Regina explains quietly. They both know that she will be fired if Emma shows the picture to the school. 

"Come with me, and I'll delete the photo," Emma says. 

"You're blackmailing me?" Regina exclaims. She is completely shocked; she never thought Emma would have done that. 

"I don't want to, but I can't pay the price to get you to come with me." It's true, Emma hates having to do this. She was there the night Graham kissed Regina, she knows Regina didn't reciprocate, but she is desperate. 

"If you delete the photo, give me free coffee, and five favors, fine, I will go," Regina says reluctantly and Emma almost jumps with joy. 

"Deal," Emma tells her. "Our flight is in two days. And you actually have to act like you want to be there. With me, your loving girlfriend." 

"Fine, Miss Swan. But I want you to delete the picture now." 

"How do I know you won't just back out?" 

"Delete it, or I don't care if you go to the school with it. I'm not going with you if you don't delete it," Regina snaps, and Emma grits her teeth and deletes the photo. That was her only copy, and now she has no leverage over the other woman. Regina seems satisfied and throws Emma a fake smile. "I'll see you at the airport then, Miss. Swan." 

"I'll send you the flight information," Emma says and begins to walk out of the room. 

"Oh, and Miss Swan?" Regina calls after her and Emma stops for a second and turns around. "I only fly first class." Emma's jaw drops open. Regina walks past her, presses her chin up with a finger, and brushes past her out the door. 

She's going to be so broke. 


	3. Welcome to Storybrooke

Emma checks her watch for the thirteenth time since sitting down at the gate. Boarding starts in fifteen minutes, and Regina has yet to show up. Emma had originally booked a flight at 11 am, but since Regina had demanded they sit in first class, she had to change flights to the one leaving at 6 am. She regrets it so much. 

At the sound of heels on tile, Emma looks up and instantly feels underdressed. Regina is wearing a blue dress with a fancy black overcoat and knee-high heeled boots. Not a hair is out of place and Emma wonders how she can look so perfect at 5:30 in the morning, whereas Emma is in jeans, a black T-shirt, and a maroon leather jacket on. Her blonde hair is full of tangles and knots, and she's sure she looks something like a raccoon with the dark circles under her eyes. 

"Close your mouth, dear," Regina murmurs in Emma's ear when she walks past her and sits down. 

"Christ, Regina, it's 5:30 in the morning, how do you look so good?" Emma grouches, and Regina raises an eyebrow, giving Emma the once-over. 

"Time is not an excuse to look bad," Regina answers haughtily and Emma rolls her eyes and wonders why she picked Regina to be her fake girlfriend. But then Regina touches her arm gently and Emma remembers why. 

The first call for boarding starts, and Emma and Regina stand up and get in line. There's barely any people on their flight, so they're the first two people on the plane. Once they've settled into their seats, Regina pulls out a stack of papers from her purse and hands them to Emma. It's the packet that Emma had given her about their fake relationship for her to memorize. 

"I made a few changes," Regina tells her and Emma flips through the packet, groaning at the red ink on the page. 

"God, you're such a teacher," Emma moans, but gets familiar with the details that Regina changed. "Our first date was _seriously_ when I tripped and knocked a drink out of your hands, so I bought you another one? What was wrong with my first date?" Emma demands. Regina raises an eyebrow, like she can't believe Emma would even ask that. 

"You wanted our first date to be after you heroically swooped in and saved me from some unwanted flirting from a guy and then you bought me dinner," Regina reminds her, and Emma can hear the eye-roll in her voice. 

"What was wrong with that?" 

"I can take care of myself, dear," Regina says. "I don't need you to be my knight in shining armor. You only said that so you'd look better for your parents." 

"And you only changed it so I'd look like a fool," Emma fires back, and Regina can't hide her smirk. "Fine," Emma grumbles. "I tripped and spilled your drink, so I bought you a new one." Regina looks positively delighted at her concession. 

The rest of the plane ride, much to Emma's dismay, is filled with silence between them. Regina takes out actual papers and starts to grade them, and Emma puts in her headphones and tries to sleep. 

She's woken up a few hours later by Regina's elbow digging into her side. "We're here," Regina hisses in her ear. 

When they've finally gotten all their bags from the luggage area, Emma leads Regina out to the parking lot. It's very cold, and for the first time this trip, Regina looks like she regrets choosing beauty over comfort. 

"Fuck, it's freezing," Emma huffs out, her breath appearing as condensation. She catches Regina wince at her choice of language and Emma bites back a smile. 

"Emma!" someone shouts, and suddenly Emma takes off sprinting, leaving Regina behind to catch up. Emma runs into the arms of her father and they both laugh. Regina can't help the smile that comes onto her face at the sight of them. 

"Dad, this is Regina. Regina, my dad," Emma introduces them. Someone else gets out of the car, and Emma squeals and hugs her. 

"Nice to meet you," Regina says to Emma's father and shakes his hand. He has a kind face and piercing blue eyes. 

"Call me David," he tells her and she nods. 

"Regina," Emma says, leading the woman over. She's shorter than Emma, with a pixie cut, and her brown eyes are warm. "this is my mom." Regina holds out her hand, but the woman pulls her into a hug. Regina tries to hide her discomfort by awkwardly patting her on the back. 

"Please, call me Mary Margaret," Emma's mom says. 

David picks up the bags and effortlessly throws them into the bed of the truck. "You guys ready?" he asks as Emma helps Regina into the backseat. 

"Let's do this!" Emma says and gets in behind Regina. 

"So, Regina, how'd you two meet?" Mary Margaret questions once David has started driving. Emma slouches against the window in fake embarrassment. 

"I had just bought a cup of coffee from a street vendor when Emma tripped and knocked the cup right out of my hand. She was adamant that she buy me a new cup of coffee, and she took me to a cozy little coffee shop. I was expecting her to buy it and then leave, but she ordered some food and we sat down and ate together. That was our first date, too," Regina adds softly and turns to look at Emma, who is reminding herself that none of this is real. But, god, she wants it to be. 

"Ah, yes, that sounds like Emma. Always so clumsy," David jokes, and Regina laughs at the look of outrage on Emma's face. 

"But if I hadn't knocked over your cup of coffee, we never would've met. You should be thanking me for being clumsy," Emma points out.

"Fair enough," Regina agrees. 

"How long have you been dating?" David asks. Regina looks at Emma with a questioning look. Emma smiles nervously. 

"A few months," Regina answers. "Has Emma not said anything about me?" David and Mary Margaret share a glance. 

"All we knew was that Emma had a girlfriend named Regina, and that she was bringing her home for Christmas," Mary Margaret says and Regina glares at Emma. Emma had written down the details about their relationship last minute and had just refused to tell her parents anything. 

The rest of the ride is spent in silence until they arrive at Storybrooke. 

"Are Neal and Henry at home?" Emma asks. Regina raises an eyebrow at her. "They're my twin brothers. They're twelve," Emma tells her. 

"Yeah, we decided to leave them at the house. There wouldn't have been enough room in the truck anyway."

"I can't wait to see my old car," Emma says excitedly. David laughs as he pulls into a driveway. It's a nice house, not too big, but just right for the whole family. 

"Neal is sleeping with Henry so Regina can have his room. Unless, you want to sleep together?" Mary Margaret says, and her tone makes it clear that she does not approve of them sleeping in the same bed. 

"Nope," they both reply at the same time. 

As soon as the door opens to the house, a blur races by and jumps into Emma's arms. "Henry!" she exclaims. He has neat, brown hair and pale skin, and looks exactly like the other boy who has just entered into the foyer. "Neal!" Emma says, and pulls him into a hug. "Guys, this is Regina. Regina, Henry and Neal." Up close, Regina can see that Henry has freckles on his cheeks and nose while Neal doesn't. 

"Neal, why don't you show Regina where your room is?" David suggests, and Neal takes one of Regina's bags from her and leads her upstairs, with Henry following. 

"I like her," Mary Margaret announces. 

"Mom, you just met her," Emma reminds her, but is warmed by the thought nonetheless. 

"I like her, too," David remarks. "Nice job, kiddo." Emma smiles. 

"Um, well, I should go see how Regina's settling in," Emma says once it's been quiet for too long. She heads up the stairs and is met with Henry and Neal on the couch playing a Star Wars video game. They're both obsessed with Star Wars, and Emma bets that one of them will suggest a movie marathon before the day is over. 

"Hey," Emma says after she knocks on the door. She peers in and sees that Regina is in the middle of unpacking one of four bags. 

"Hey," Regina responds, not looking up at her. 

"So, what do you think?" Emma tries to hide the hopefulness in her voice. 

Regina shrugs. "It's not the worst place to spend five days, I guess." Emma grins widely, and Regina stops what she's doing and looks up. "Don't look so happy," Regina scoffs. "I'm sure my opinion will change once I have to socialize with the rest of the people in this town." Emma frowns. "Speaking of, when do I have to socialize with the rest of the people in this town?" 

"Um, tonight. My mom is throwing a welcome back party for me. And then tomorrow is the Christmas party. And I'm sure we'll have to go out on Christmas," Emma says and half expects Regina to throw something at her. 

"Your welcome back party will be a just few friends, I assume?" 

"Actually, no. Most of the town is coming." 

Regina growls in frustration and hits Emma with a pillow. "I thought I just had to be your girlfriend for your parents, and now you're telling me I have to be your girlfriend in front of an entire town?" 

"It's a small town," Emma offers meekly and Regina hits her again with the pillow. 

"Are you guys okay?" Henry asks, poking his head in the room, and Emma freezes. Did Henry hear the part about Regina being her girlfriend?

"We're fine, Henry," Regina says, and it's the gentlest Emma's ever heard her voice. Regina has a soft spot for kids, who would've guessed? He smiles and nods and leaves them alone. "What time is the party tonight?" And her voice is back to being haughty. 

"It's at 6. We'll probably leave around 5:30."

"We'll _leave_ at 5:30? Is it not here?"

"No, it's at Granny's, the town diner. It's a nice place, they have good food. The grilled cheese is amazing," Emma praises and Regina makes a face. "They also have salads," Emma quickly adds. The only food Regina's ever ordered from the cafe are bagels, despite the selection of baked goods, which leads Emma to the conclusion that Regina only eats healthy. 

"Fine," Regina huffs and turns away from Emma. "I should finish unpacking." 

"Oh, yeah, right." Emma gets up and leaves Regina in Neal's room. She smiles tightly at her brothers playing the video game and walks to her room and closes the door. She exhales long and slow. So far, so good. 


	4. The welcome back party

Regina has just finished getting dressed when someone knocks on the door to the room. "Come in!" Regina says loudly, and Emma walks in, wearing the same clothes from earlier. Regina doesn't even think she's showered. 

"Wow," Emma breathes as her eyes trail down Regina's body. She's wearing a fur-lined black overcoat and has a pair of black jeans on, and the same boots from earlier. She's washed most of the makeup, save for black eyeliner. She knows she looks stunning. 

"Take a picture, it'll last longer, dear," Regina says, but secretly, she enjoys the way Emma looks at her. It makes her feel powerful, and desired. She's used to people staring, but there's something about the heat of Emma's gaze that makes her feel warm. 

"Sorry," Emma stammers and Regina flashes her a smirk to let her know she's just playing. 

"Are we about to leave?" Regina asks. It's almost 5:30, and she figures that's the whole reason Emma is standing in her room. 

"The rest of my family is about to leave. We're heading over later." Regina bites back a retort as this is another bit of information that Emma has waited until the last minute to reveal. At Regina's pointed look, Emma says, "My mom just told me! Something about how the guest of honor doesn't need to show up early."

"Well, Miss Swan, anything else I should know before we get there?" Regina hates to admit it, but she is kind of nervous about the party. She hasn't had time to adequately prepare for the role of Emma's girlfriend, and what if she messes the whole thing up? Not that she cares, of course.

"First off, _please_ call me Emma. We're supposed to be dating, not acting out a kinky fantasy," Emma says with a blush and doesn't meet Regina's eyes. "Second, just be yourself. Everyone in this town loves me, which means they're going to love you."

"Okay, Em-ma," Regina says, dragging out the blonde woman's name, noticing how Emma shivers. "Although, I think you like it when I call you Miss Swan," Regina husks, and can see Emma squirming, neither confirming or denying it, and she enjoys it immensely.

"We're leaving in twenty minutes," Emma squeaks and quickly exits the room. Regina almost laughs at how easy it is to mess with her. 

Fifteen minutes later, Regina heads downstairs. Emma is still in her room, so Regina takes a look at the pictures on the counter. Emma and David. Emma and Mary Margaret. The three of them together somewhere. And then there's teenage Emma smiling with two toddlers. The boys are twelve, so Emma is over ten years older than them. 

"I was a cute kid," Emma says wistfully behind her, and Regina jumps almost three feet in the air. She hadn't heard Emma come down the stairs. 

"Yes, you were. Whatever happened?" Regina genuinely sounds concerned and Emma playfully smacks her arm. 

"Shut up. We can't all be as gorgeous as you," Emma grumbles and Regina smirks. 

"Mm, true, but some of you are still pretty attractive," Regina says with a wink, and she swears Emma might fall to the floor in shock. "Are you ready to go?" she asks and Emma nods, still dumbfounded. 

When Emma opens up the garage, Regina almost walks back inside. Emma's old car is a yellow bug. A yellow, metal coffin on wheels. 

"You've got to be kidding me," Regina says as Emma strokes the hood. 

"I've missed you so much," she coos. 

"Absolutely not," Regina says in her teacher voice, but it has no effect on Emma, who is now attempting to hug the car. 

"Well, it's either this, or walking." Emma doesn't even look up when she says it - too busy whispering sweet nothings while rubbing circles on the roof of the car - and Regina is seriously tempted to start walking, just to make a point. 

"How far is the walk?" Regina finally gets Emma's attention with her question, who pulls herself off the car and hops into the driver's seat, leaning across the open the passenger door. She waves at Regina, who reluctantly gets in. "Is the reason you don't have a real girlfriend, because you're more attached to your car than any actual person?" 

"Hey, I only see my baby once a year," Emma protests. "What, are you jealous?" she taunts with a smirk. Apparently Emma Swan is not as defenseless against her as she may have thought, Regina notes. 

The parking lot to Granny's is already full, and Emma and Regina both groan: Emma, from a lack of parking places, and Regina, because there are so many people here. Regina has never been a people person, owing mostly to the fact that she is cold and closed off. Yet, here she is, pretending to be one of her old student's girlfriend. 

Emma turns off the car and they both get out of it, and Regina walks over to Emma. Her blonde hair is all frizzy, so Regina attempts to smooth it down until Emma ducks out of her grasp. 

"Hey, what are you doing?" she asks defensively, patting down her hair, and then running her fingers though it. It undos everything that Regina had done, and she glares angrily at Emma before trying to fix her hair again. 

"I refuse to date someone who doesn't know how to brush their hair," Regina states. Emma's hair is so soft and lush, and Regina had always wanted to weave her hands in it just to see what it felt like. 

When Regina has done the best she can, she reaches down and fixes Emma's jacket. "There, perfect," she says quietly and Emma puts her hand over Regina's and rubs her skin with her thumb. They stare at each other for what seems like hours before someone interrupts them. 

"Ay, Swan? Is that you?" someone with a british accent says. Regina turns and the first thing she notices is the eyeliner. And then she takes in the leather jacket and the black pants. He could be decently attractive, Regina supposes, if you can get past the makeup and the faux leather. 

"Killian!" Emma says, the look in her eye not quite matching the enthusiastic tone of her voice, but hugs him nevertheless. "Um, Killian, this is my girlfriend, Regina," she says once she pulls away from him. It's obvious that he has a crush on Emma, but the introduction, he strangely doesn't seem too upset. 

"Hello, love," he greets, and Regina notices he smells like rum. "So, you two, are, uh, dating?" 

Regina steps closer to Emma and grabs her hand. "That's correct." 

"Have you ever thought about bringing a man into the bedroom?" Regina chokes on her own spit and starts coughing violently, while Emma glares at him so hard, Regina half expects him to burst into flames. 

"We're actually quite happy with just the two of us," Regina rasps once she can finally breathe again. Killian looks disappointed. 

"Well, if you two beautiful ladies ever want to try something different, you know where to find me." He bows and then walks into the diner. Regina turns to look at Emma with an incredulous look and Emma bursts out laughing. 

"I guess if we want to try something different, we have an option," Emma jokes and Regina shakes her head with a smile. "Shall we go?" Emma asks, holding out a hand to Regina, who takes it. 

"Indeed we shall," Regina answers, and Emma gives her hand a small squeeze. 

The moment they step into Granny's, everyone inside it goes wild. People yell Emma's name as they come up and hug her, and apparently no one in Storybrooke knows what a handshake it, because they all pull Regina into a hug, too. 

Two girls grab Emma's arm and lead her to a table. Emma doesn't even look back at Regina, so she's forced to either assimilate or stand to the side like a loser. She decides on ordering a drink from the person who she guesses is Granny. Regina slaps money on the table and Granny gives her a glass of wine. She takes small sips while she watches Emma talk to the two girls. 

"What's a beautiful girl like you doing all alone?" someone asks Regina, and it takes a few moments for her to realize that someone's talking to her. It's a guy, with blonde hair and green eyes. He, like Killian, also has a british accent. Regina wonders if it's fake. 

"I'm not alone," Regina says, almost yelling to be heard over all the noise. "I'm with Emma." The guy doesn't seem to hear her and motions for her to come with him. She doesn't want to go, but what else is she going to do? Sit by herself and watch her fake girlfriend catch up with her friends?

She follows him to the back of the dinner, by the jukebox and restrooms. 

"I'm Robin," he says, and holds out a hand for her to shake. She shakes his hand and introduces herself. "I don't think I've seen you around here before. I definitely would've remembered you," he flirts with what Regina assumes is supposed to be a charming smile. 

"I'm actually Emma's girlfriend. I'm just here for the holidays. That's probably why you've never seen me around." Hopefully, unlike Killian, this guy can take a hint. 

"Ah, yes, I love it when two girls are best friends. Girls can be so mean to one another, so it's nice to see girls just supporting each other. Would you like to get a drink sometime?" Regina's jaw almost drops. 

"There you are, babe," Emma says, coming out of nowhere to put an arm around Regina's shoulders. Regina leans into Emma's touch, enjoying the confused look on Robin's face. "Hey, Robin, what's up? Marian asked about you. She wants to know where you are." Robin turns red and disappears back into the crowd. 

"Who's Marian?" Regina asks while stepping away from Emma. 

"His wife." This time, Regina's jaw does drop open. "He flirts with other women all the time. She has no idea," Emma says with a frown. "Anyway, you okay?" Regina nods. "Can I buy you a drink?" Regina rolls her eyes with a smile and Emma intertwines their fingers together and leads her through the crowd up to the counter. Emma orders two shots and a grilled cheese. "Want anything else?" she asks Regina. 

"I'll have lasagna please," Regina says and Granny nods. Emma picks up one of the shots and hands it to Regina, and takes the other one for herself. They tap the glasses together and take the shot. Regina's throat burns and she almost throws it up. Her nose wrinkles in distaste. "God, that was vile!" 

Emma nods in agreement with a putrid look on her face. "Granny, can we get some waters please?" The old woman places two water bottles in front of them and they both down the entire thing. When the food is ready, Emma, still holding Regina's hand, walks to the door. 

"Emma, can we go outside? This party is for you," Regina says, not moving. Emma shrugs and tugs her hand, and Regina gives up and follows her outside. They sit down at an outdoor table, and Regina misses the warmth of Emma's hand in hers. 

"No one will even notice that I'm gone," Emma tells her, and Regina thinks that she catches a hint of bitterneness. "I barely know any of these people, but Storybrooke is a small town and my mother is popular. Her parties are more of a social event than they are a celebration." 

"I'm sorry." Emma shrugs, but Regina gets the feeling that it's not as alright as she's making it seem. They sit down at a table. "Emma, can I ask you something?" 

"Sure." 

"Why don't you have a real girlfriend?" It's clear by the look on her face that Emma was not expecting that. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"No, it's fine. I'm not very good with feelings, or people for that matter. I've never been great at relationships mainly because I'm not good at trusting people. And also, I've had a crush on someone for about two years, so I'm not really looking at other girls," Emma says, and Regina feels a flash of jealously. 

"Well then, Miss Swan, why aren't you with your crush right now?" Regina asks. 

Emma leans in so she's staring right into Regina's eyes and Regina feels like she's looking into her soul. 

"I am," Emma whispers, and Regina realizes that the fake first date that Emma had planned for them has just happened. 


	5. Feelings and flirtations

The ride back to the house is quiet, and Regina is still mulling over what Emma said at Granny's. It's no secret to anyone that Emma finds her attractive, but Regina had no idea that Emma actually had feelings for her. She should've guessed it, probably. Emma had lied to her parents and said that Regina was her girlfriend, so she should've known there were feelings involved. 

"Can I ask you something now?" Emma's question breaks the silence, and Regina doesn't know whether to be relieved or not. At Regina's nod of confirmation, she continues. "Do you even like girls?" 

"I'm bisexual." Emma is one of the very few people she's ever told, but Emma just admitted her feelings for her, so Regina does owe her something. Emma doesn't say anything, so Regina just looks out the window the rest of the way. 

"Did you guys have fun?" Mary Margaret asks once they've gotten into the house. "Wasn't it nice to see everyone again, Emma? They all missed you so much." Regina looks suspiciously at Emma's mother while Emma groans. 

"Mom, I'm not moving back here. I like living in Washington. It's nice." 

"What does Washington have that we don't?" Mary Margaret asks. Regina can't really believe where this conversation is going. Is Mary Margaret really going to try to convince Emma to move back home while Regina is standing right there? She's about to sneak off to her room when Emma says something else. 

"Washington has my school, my friends, and most of all, Regina," Emma tells her, and Regina wants to cry. Emma has feelings for her. This is real for her. And Regina's faking this all. If Regina's being completely honest, there's maybe a spark of attraction between them, but Emma's feelings are real. 

"But, Emma, we're your family," Mary Margaret pleads. 

"Yeah, you are. You'll always be my family. I'll always love you guys, no matter where I am," Emma says, and Regina's painfully reminded of her own family, and how they will never love her the way Emma and her family love each other. Mary Margaret and Emma hug, and then Emma's pulling Regina up the stairs and into her room. "You okay? You've been really quiet," Emma remarks and Regina smiles at her. 

"I'm just thinking about how if we were actually together, I wouldn't deserve you," Regina says honestly, and Emma raises an eyebrow. 

"Regina, you're the one who's way out of my league. I mean, have you looked in a mirror?" Emma replies, and Regina laughs sadly. 

"I mean it, Emma. You have a real crush on me, and I'm here because you blackmailed me into coming. I just felt like such a bad person when you told your mom that I was one of the things you couldn't leave in Washington. I feel guilty," Regina explains. 

"You don't have to," Emma says. "I'm sorry if telling you how I felt makes you feel bad about being here, but it's the truth. I had a crush on you, and I'm not over it."

"Since when have you had a crush on me, Miss Swan?" Regina purrs, and Emma goes red. Regina smirks as Emma stammers over words. 

"Ever since I walked into your classroom for the very first time," Emma finally says, and Regina looks impressed. "You looked at me and said 'you're late' and that's when I was a goner." Regina can't help but laugh, recalling that day. Emma had strolled into her class, fifteen minutes after the bell, and Regina had given her detention without a second thought. 

"You never learned. You still showed up late so many times after that," she muses, and Emma grins sheepishly. 

"It was the only way I could get your attention. That, and being one of the only students in my year to pass your class," Emma admits. "But no matter what I did, it seemed like you never noticed me." 

Regina bites her lip and runs her hand through Emma's hair. "I've noticed you now, dear," she says in a husky voice, and Emma shudders. Regina traces Emma's lips with a finger and the blonde woman closes her eyes. Regina's about to lean in and kiss her when they hear the stairs creaking. The moment is gone, and Regina steps away from Emma, who is breathing hard. "Goodnight, Emma," Regina says quietly, and goes back to Neal's room. 

Regina spends the next few hours tossing and turning, wondering what it would be like to be Emma Swan's real girlfriend. She finally dozes off into a restless sleep, dreams full of Emma. 

The knock on the door startles Regina awake and she groggily calls out for the person to enter. It's Emma, and she comes into the room and sits on the bed. Regina moans and rolls over. She is _not_ a morning person. 

"Oh come on, how do you still look so perfect? You just woke up!" Emma complains and Regina tilts her head just enough to smirk at the other woman. "This is so unfair. Also, we're leaving in fifteen minutes to pick out a Christmas tree." The words have the intended effect on Regina, who leaps out of bed and sprints to the bathroom. 

Seven minutes later, Regina steps out of the bathroom, dressed in pants, boots, an overcoat, and a blue scarf. She's wearing almost the exact same thing as last night, but still manages to take Emma's breath away. 

"Why are we getting a Christmas tree the day before Christmas?" Regina questions, and Emma shrugs. "Whatever. Are we all going?" 

"Just you, me, and the twins. Which means, we're taking my car!" Emma exclaims, and Regina wants to crawl back in the bed. 

"Why aren't your parents coming?" As much as Regina likes kids, she's not too excited about having to babysit two twelve year olds. 

"They have to go help set up for the Christmas party tonight." Regina groans at the thought of another party to go to. Not that last night's party was so bad. "Alright, you ready to go? Henry and Neal are already downstairs."

"Let's do it," Regina says reluctantly and follows Emma downstairs into the kitchen, where the boys are eating cereal. 

"Hey, Emma. Hey, Regina," they say together, and Regina thinks they must have rehearsed it. Emma tousles Henry's hair, and then runs a hand through Neal's, and they both look at her in disgust. Regina laughs despite herself. They quickly finish the rest of their breakfast, and Regina is back in Emma's yellow bug too soon. 

The Christmas tree farm is smaller than Regina was expecting, but she's sure they'll find something. The standards of the people in Storybrooke can't be too high. 

Henry and Neal take off running and Emma walks over to a bench and sits down. "Um, shouldn't we go with them?" Regina asks and points toward the twins. Emma shrugs and flips her hair over her shoulder. 

"They'll be fine. They'll let us know when they find something," Emma responds. Regina sits down next to her, leaving a bit of space between them. "So, last night?" Emma begins, licking her lips. "You said you've noticed me." 

"Yes, dear, I did say that," Regina says, her voice neutral. She doesn't feel the need to mention that she almost kissed her too. 

Emma's about to say something back when Henry's voice cuts her off. The twins have found a tree that they like. 

Fifty dollars later, the tree is strapped to the top of the car and unspoken words are hanging between Emma and Regina. 

The rest of the day passes quickly and uneventfully, and Henry and Neal rope Emma and Regina into starting a Star Wars marathon. The twins and Emma are quoting the movie back and forth, and Regina finds it adorable how dorky Emma is. 

It's almost time to get ready for the party when Regina's hand brushes Emma's thigh under the blanket. Emma stiffens and stares at the television so hard it might burn. Regina watches Emma's face as she places her hand on top of Emma's leg and starts rubbing little circles. 

" _Fuck_ ," Emma mutters under her breath. Regina's hand inches higher and higher until - 

"Emma!" Emma and Regina both jump off the couch and whirl around. Mary Margaret is standing there. "Why haven't you guys gotten ready for the party?" Emma and Regina both let out a sigh of relief and Emma stumbles over an apology. "Let's get moving, girls," she says with a snap of her fingers, and Emma and Regina both hurry up the stairs and into their respecting rooms to get changed. 

Emma's done first, so naturally, she goes to see how Regina's doing. Emma can still hear the shower running so she pushes open the door and sits on the bed, patiently waiting. She doesn't expect for Regina to open the bathroom door and come out wearing only a towel, so when she does, Emma gapes at her. Water runs from Regina's hair onto her chest and under the towel and Emma bites her lip to stop herself from going to Regina and licking off the water droplets. Regina gives her a classic Regina smirk before she grabs the clothes sitting on the dresser and returns to the bathroom. 

She comes out wearing a dark purple dress and a black blazer, and she looks stunning. She slides her feet into a pair of ankle boots and blatantly checks Emma out, who has on a black leather jacket over a pretty white blouse, and black jeans. Her hair is in a ponytail and Regina finds herself admitting that the blonde is attractive. 

Luckily, the party isn't at Granny's again, it's at the town hall. Regina sees a Christmas tree amid all the decorations and has to say, it looks pretty nice. Emma walks over to the refreshment table and gets a cup of hot chocolate. Regina fills up coffee and remarks to Emma, "Try not to spill this one too." The blonde just laughs and playfully elbows Regina. 

They walk over to a corner where they can just quietly talk to each other, but before either of them can say anything, someone shouts, "Hey, look! They're standing under the mistletoe!" Emma and Regina both look up to see a piece of mistletoe hanging over them. They glance at each other, and Emma shrugs. 

Regina grabs Emma's jacket, tugs her closer, and kisses her. 


	6. T'was the night before Christmas

Their first kiss is a tentative brush of Regina's lips against Emma's, but when Emma gasps, Regina smirks and kisses her again, for real this time. Regina's lips are soft, tasting of apples, and Emma has never felt happier than she does right now. Regina weaves her fingers in Emma's hair, pulling her closer if possible, and Emma places her hands on the other woman's hips. Emma feels like she's on fire, and she can't help but moan softly when Regina catches her bottom lip between her teeth and sucks.

"Hey, let's try to keep it PG!" someone shouts, and they break apart. Emma is breathing hard, visibly turned on, and the only reason she knows Regina is affected is the fact that her pupils are so dilated that her eyes are almost black. _Fuck._

"Shall we dance?" Regina asks, and her voice is raspy and deep. Emma wonders what it would be like to hear Regina moan her name in the same tone. 

She just nods, because she doesn't know if she's still speechless or not. 

Christmas music definitely isn't the best music to dance to, but Emma somehow makes it work. She's head-banging to the beat and playing pretend instruments while Regina awkwardly stands in the middle of the dance floor, not moving. 

"You're adorable," Regina says loudly when Emma spins around and keeps dancing, and Emma blushes. She knows she would dance forever if it meant Regina complimenting her. The song changes and Emma gasps as her favorite Christmas carol comes on. 

"I," Emma holds the note at the top of her lungs, and Regina looks around, embarrassed. "don't want a lot for Christmas." Emma strums an imaginary guitar along with the music. "There is just one thing I need." She's horribly off-key but Regina smiles anyway. It's a very cute sight. "I don't care about the presents, underneath the Christmas tree. I just want you for my own." Emma has stopped dancing, and is now gazing heatedly into Regina's eyes. "More than you could ever know. Make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas, is you." Upbeat music starts playing but Emma doesn't even seem to notice it, as she's standing so close to Regina that she can feel her breath on her lips. Everyone else seems to disappear. 

Regina cups Emma's cheek with a hand, and they meet in the middle. They are kissing again, and Regina is pushing her body against Emma, and Emma can barely form a thought. She feels Regina's heart racing when Emma cradles her neck with one hand. Regina bites gently on Emma's bottom lip and Emma moans her name into Regina mouth.

Emma flicks Regina's tongue with her own. "Emma," Regina whispers breathlessly, so husky and needy, and a thrill runs through Emma. She feels like she could get high off Regina saying her name like that. Emma takes the lead and kisses Regina harder, and Regina kisses back with equal enthusiasm. 

It's the hottest kiss Emma's ever had and they're standing in the middle of the dance floor at a Christmas party. 

"As much as I'm enjoying the show, there are children here," a british accent interrupts, and Emma groans, turns around, and swings her fist into Killian's face. He falls to the floor, Regina gasps, and Emma shakes out her hand, wincing. 

"Let's get out of here," Emma suggests finally, meeting Regina's shocked eyes. 

"Yes, please," Regina answers. Killian does not look happy and Regina can see a bruise already forming. But before he can say anything, Regina has Emma's hand in hers and they are weaving through the crowd to the exit. 

The cold air hits them, and Emma pulls her jacket closer to her body with a shiver. She wonders how Regina isn't freezing; the brunette is walking toward Emma's car like she doesn't even notice the icy temperature. 

Regina gets to the car first and turns around, about to ask Emma to unlock it, but laughs. Emma has lipstick smeared on her lips, on the skin around her lips, and even on her chin. It looks like a five year old attempted to put make up on her. 

"What?" Emma asks defensively. 

"You have lipstick _everywhere_ ," Regina says and Emma holds her breath as Regina wipes the corners of her mouth with a thumb. All Emma wants to do is shove Regina against the car and take her right there, in the parking lot. "Perfect," Regina says, and Emma's forced to pretend that she wasn't just imagining her naked. Regina flashes Emma a sly and sultry smile before getting into the passenger seat, deciding for the first time not to make a comment about the deathtrap that Emma calls a car. She watches Emma take a deep breath before getting into the driver's seat. 

The ride home is silent, but filled with heat and sexual tension. Regina occasionally glances over at Emma, who is gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles are white. 

It's only 7:30 when they get back to Emma's house, and Regina heads to the kitchen, with Emma reluctantly following her. She was hoping that they'd go upstairs to her room, so she raises an eyebrow when Regina starts to make hot chocolate. 

"Isn't there something else you could be doing instead of that?" Emma hints, and the smile that Regina gives her is full of hunger, desire, and pure evil. Emma sits on a barstool before she drops to the ground. 

"I'm sure there's some _one_ else I could be doing, but your parents are coming home soon, yes? I like to take my time," Regina purrs, her voice dripping with seduction. Emma almost falls off the barstool at the promise of sex. 

"Yeah," is all Emma can say, but then clears her throat. "They'll be home around 8, and then my dad reads _T'was the Night Before Christmas_ and then we have the option to watch _National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation._ But we can always say no," Emma adds hopefully. 

"I've never seen it," Regina remarks, and Emma groans. She is so turned on right now that she might die if Regina doesn't touch her soon. Regina gives her a knowing smile and slides a cup of hot chocolate over to her. 

"We can watch it another time," Emma offers, and Regina laughs while handing her the bottle of whipped cream. Emma uses almost half the bottle. 

"I'm not sure we'll make it that long if you keep using that much whipped cream," Regina jokes. "Do you want some hot chocolate with all that?" Emma pretends to laugh and takes a sip. When she lowers the mug, Regina notices with a smile that Emma has whipped cream on her nose. Honestly, the woman is such a child. 

Emma doesn't breathe as Regina swipes the whipped cream off her nose and licks it off, her eyes never leaving Emma's. If Emma thought that imagining Regina naked before was bad, it's nothing compared to the thought of Regina naked, covered in whipped cream. She grows hot at the thought of tracing Regina's stomach with her tongue while Regina moans Emma's name. 

The garage door opens, and Emma is jolted out of her fantasy. Regina takes the opportunity to steal the mug and take a sip. 

"Isn't it good?" Emma asks earnestly. 

"All I tasted was whipped cream," Regina answers. 

"That's what makes it good," Emma explains, and the door to the house opens and the twins sprint straight to the kitchen fireplace. David enters next, and finally Mary Margaret comes in behind him. 

"It's freezing outside," David announces. Mary Margaret says something to her husband. "Ah, yes. The annual reading of _T'was the Night Before Christmas_ will begin in ten minutes in the living room. Boys, you might want to go put on some warm clothes." Henry and Neal run upstairs. "Emma, Regina, I just bought you some time to get a good seat and one of the better blankets. You're welcome," he says dramatically, and Emma laughs while Regina smiles. 

Regina plops down onto the cozy, brown sectional while Emma grabs a fuzzy, gray blanket and sits next to her. She drapes the blanket over both of them and stiffens when Regina runs a finger up her leg. 

"Regina," Emma says warningly as her parents walk into the room, but Regina just smirks and lays her hand flat on Emma's thigh. Seven minutes later - Emma knows it's seven minutes exactly because she's been staring bullets at the clock above the living room fireplace - the boys come in, wearing pajamas. Both of them have Star Wars characters on their fuzzy pants. 

Regina realizes that, when David starts reading in the recliner, with Mary Margaret reading silently over his shoulder from the armrest, and the boys are listening intently, that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to be a part of this family. She leans in closer to Emma, who puts her arm around her and kisses her hair. It doesn't feel fake at all. 

"But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight: 'happy Christmas to all, and to all, a good night'," David reads, and then closes the book. The room is silent before David asks: "Who wants to watch Christmas Vacation?" The boys immediately agree, and David and Mary Margaret turn towards Emma and Regina. 

"We'd love to," Regina answers, feeling Emma slouch against her in disappointment. Regina bites back a smile. David beams and stands up to put in the DVD. 

"This is my favorite Christmas movie," Henry tells her. "It's so funny." 

"My favorite is _Home Alone_ ," Neal says, and Emma scoffs.

"I know that it's just a kids movie, but Kevin was so bloodthirsty. I know it was self-defense, but he enjoyed trying to kill the two criminals way too much. He went _way_ too far," Emma argues, and Neal rolls his eyes. They've obviously already had this discussion before. 

"Babe, you really shouldn't think that much about it. It's supposed to be fun, and, like you said, it's just a kids movie," Regina says, and Neal grins at her. Regina smiles back while Emma grumbles something about how Regina's supposed to be on her side. 

"Shh, the movie's starting," Henry whispers. David sits back down and everyone's attention turns to the movie. 

About an hour in, Regina gets antsy. The movie, while hilarious, is not what she wants to be doing right now. Her hand is still resting on Emma's thigh, so she softly moves it just a little. Emma becomes very still beside her. Regina starts trailing her fingers up and down her thigh, and immensely enjoys feeling Emma shudder against her. Regina bites her lip as her fingers skate over the place where Emma needs them the most and Emma quietly groans. Regina is playing a dangerous game with Emma's parents sitting not even ten feet from them. 

Regina presses harder into Emma's thigh, and feels Emma open her legs wider to allow Regina access to the more sensitive part of her legs. Regina has to bend her wrist at an awkward angle and Emma is still in jeans, but neither wants Regina to stop. 

Regina's fingers finally reach the aching spot between Emma's legs and Emma clenches her teeth to keep from moaning. Emma finds Regina's leg under the blanket and digs her nails into the skin. Regina hisses: her dress has ridden up and Emma is touching bare skin. 

Regina rubs up and down and Emma quivers against her, needing more friction, but due to the situation, there is not much either of them can do.

Emma unbuttons and unzips her jeans, and Regina instantly delves into them. Emma bites her lip so hard she tastes blood when Regina strokes her through her underwear. Emma is so deliciously wet and hot and Regina just wants to lay her on the couch and have her way with her, but she forces herself to look at David and Mary Margaret, a reminder that they need to be careful. 

Emma whimpers when Regina's fingers dance around the spot she most wants Regina to touch. Regina finally takes pity and presses down, and Emma can't hold back and moans - 

\- and at the same time, Henry snores loudly. Regina yanks her hand out of Emma's pants and Emma hastily zips them back up. Both their hearts are racing; that was too close. Thank god Henry is a loud snorer. 

"I think they're both asleep," David says, turning to look at the twins. "Do you guys want to finish the movie?" 

"No, I think we're going to turn in for the night," Emma says, and Regina nods in agreement. Emma's parents wish them a goodnight and continue watching, and Emma and Regina make their way up the stairs, breathing hard in relief. "I thought we were going to die," Emma admits, and Regina laughs. And then they're at the top of the stairs, staring at each other, not sure what to do. "Come with me?" Emma offers. 

"I need to shower first," Regina replies, not saying no. 

"I have a shower in my room," Emma says, and Regina quickly grabs a robe and pajamas from Neal's room and follows Emma into her room. The walls are a baby blue color, and the bedspread is yellow. Regina closes the bathroom door behind her and Emma hears the shower turn on. She quickly changes into a black tank top and fuzzy pants with Grinch heads on them and then she digs through her bag and pulls out presents for everyone. She got the boys each a Star Wars lego set and a ticket to the new Star Wars movie, for David, a Seattle Seahawks jersey, for Mary Margaret, a picture of the two of them in a brass frame, and for Regina, a necklace with an apple and a horse pendent. Emma knows their relationship is fake, but she still owes Regina so much for coming with her. She is so focused on the gifts that she doesn't realize Regina is done until the door opens. Emma stands up quickly and whirls around. 

Regina has on a blue silk robe that's tied in the front. Before Emma can say anything, Regina slowly unties the robe and Emma's heart stops. She's naked, and _fuck_ , she is so hot. Regina smirks and walks toward Emma, who is trying to remember how to breathe.

"Merry Christmas, Emma," Regina whispers and lets the robe drop to the floor. 


	7. Real or not real

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not speak Spanish so please let me know if something is incorrect

Emma's brain has completely short circuited and she can't form a single thought as Regina walks naked toward her. Her olive skin is completely unblemished, her breasts are amazing, and her stomach is toned. She is the literal definition of perfection. 

"All I want for Christmas is you," Emma breathes. It's the first thought that pops into her head once the shock wears off, and Regina stops in front of her and shakes her head. 

"Emma, please do not quote a Mariah Carey song right now," Regina says, but she doesn't sound annoyed in the slightest. Emma trembles as Regina brushes her hand down Emma's cheek. Emma has never been so turned on in her entire life and she wants to fuck and be fucked by Regina. Emma moves in to kiss her, but Regina holds up a hand. "Remember, your parents are downstairs and the television isn't that loud." 

"That didn't stop you when we were sitting ten feet away from them," Emma retorts and kisses Regina hard. Regina moans and slips her hands under Emma's tank top. Emma almost jumps at the feeling of Regina's hands on her skin and runs her hands up and down Regina's body. Regina stops kissing her just long enough to take off Emma's shirt and throw it across the room and then her lips are back on Emma's, both of them gasping at the feeling of the skin-on-skin contact. Regina walks Emma back against the wall and cups her breasts and Emma bites Regina's lip to stop from crying out. Regina's hands travel lower and trace Emma's stomach, and Regina pulls away for a second. 

"You have abs?" she asks, pressing her fingers against Emma's _very_ muscular stomach. She'd noticed that the blonde was in good shape, but never imagined this, for some reason. 

"Um, yeah? I don't just work at a cafe, you know, I do actually work out," Emma tells her. She doesn't know why Regina seems almost angry at this discovery and just wants to get back to the making out. 

"I've seen your delicious arms, but I never knew that you had abs," Regina admits, talking more to herself than the blonde as she traces the outline of each muscle, Emma's stomach tightening every time she touches her. "I wish I would've known that sooner, maybe I wouldn't have waited this long to sleep with you." Emma just groans longingly and kisses her. 

Regina's pressing her body against Emma when suddenly Emma flips them and pins Regina to the wall, holding her wrists above her head. She drags her tongue against Regina's bottom lip and then kisses a line down her jaw. Emma sucks hard on Regina's collarbone and is rewarded with a jerk of Regina's hips. 

" _Fuck_ ," Regina growls, and Emma almost comes right there. The sound of Regina cursing is almost more than Emma can handle and it throws Emma off guard long enough for Regina to take charge. She walks forward, pushing Emma with her, stopping only when she hits the bed. Emma sits on the bed, pulling Regina into her lap, and she grinds on Emma. Emma fumbles with her pajama pants, and Regina pauses kissing her to help. Once they're both naked, Regina lays Emma down and bites her neck and then soothes the spot with her tongue. Emma moans as Regina snakes a hand between their bodies and finally cups Emma's heat. She slips a finger inside and smirks at how wet the blonde is. 

"Regina, please," Emma breathes, and begins to protest when she slides down her body, but stops complaining the moment she feels Regina's mouth on her. Emma's back arches off the bed and Regina licks her again. Emma's hands tangle in Regina's short hair and pull hard, but Regina doesn't mind one bit. 

"Fuck, Emma, you taste so good," Regina murmurs against her, and it's those words combined with Regina sucking on her clit that do it for Emma. 

She comes harder than she ever has before, and she pulls Regina up for a kiss, tasting herself on Regina's tongue. Emma reaches down and slips her fingers into Regina's slick heat, and _fuck,_ Regina is so wet. Regina makes a sound from deep in her throat, and her body arches against Emma's. 

"Oh, Emma, right there! _Dios si, fóllame_!" Regina whimpers, and Emma almost comes again. Hearing Regina speak Spanish has to be the hottest things she's ever heard. 

Emma curls a finger inside Regina, and then another one, the heel of her hand rubbing her clit in a steady rhythm. Regina starts grinding herself against Emma's fingers, needing more. Emma winces as Regina's fingernails dig into her back, but she starts thrusting her fingers in deeper and presses down on her clit - 

\- and Regina comes with a loud sob. Emma freezes, certain her parents have heard, but there's no footsteps on the stairs so Emma just kisses Regina while Regina plays with the blonde's hair. They lay like that for a bit, with Emma propped over Regina on her elbow. 

"I didn't know you speak Spanish," Emma says, and Regina blushes. "That was so hot. Like, I'm pretty sure I could get off on listening to you talk in Spanish alone." Regina's smirk is anything but innocent. 

"Shall we find out?" Regina asks, and Emma eagerly nods. " _Quiero follarte_." Emma bites her lip. " _Quiero comer tu chocha,"_ Regina says, and Emma breathes heavily, and Regina can't take it anymore. She surprises the blonde by flipping them over so that she's on top. Emma takes a sharp breath in as Regina sucks on the pulse point on her throat. Regina kisses lower and lower, and by the time she traces Emma's hipbone with her tongue, Emma is trembling 

"Please," Emma begs when Regina softly bites the skin of the inside of her thigh. Emma can feel Regina smiling against her. 

"Please, what?" Regina asks, her finger ghosting over Emma's dripping center. 

"Please, Regina, fuck me!" she gasps, and her hips jerk up as Regina sucks on her clit and thrusts a finger in at the same time. "Oh my god," she moans as Regina uses her mouth and her fingers to make her come for the second time that night. 

Regina lays down next to Emma and puts her head on her shoulder. Emma kisses her hair and Regina intertwines their fingers. "Stay the night?" Emma asks hopefully and Regina kisses Emma's neck before getting up. 

"What would your mother think?" she mocks as she pulls on her silk pajamas. 

"If anything, it'll help prove the point that we're together," Emma says, and the reality of the situation comes crashing down on Regina. They're not actually together. They didn't actually have to have sex, but Regina chose to. She chews on the inside of her cheek as she ponders what this means for them. What it means for her."Hey, what's wrong?" Emma questions, coming over to her and taking her hands. 

"Emma, we're not dating," Regina says. She supposes she will blame what just happened on lust. It's been awhile since Regina's slept with someone, so that must be why she had so enthusiastically participated in this. She can't have feelings for the blonde. 

"I know." The blonde's voice is small and she pulls away from Regina to throw her pajamas back on. 

"We shouldn't have done that," Regina says, and anger flashes on Emma's face. "It was a mistake."

"Really? Maybe you should've thought about that before you came out of the bathroom naked and initiated this whole thing," Emma snaps. "Jesus Christ, Regina, it sure didn't sound like a mistake when you were moaning my name loudly. And you fucked me _twice_! You _cannot_ say that this was a mistake." 

"Goodnight, Emma," Regina says sadly, and Emma throws her arms up into the air. It hurts Regina to do this, but they're just supposed to be fake dating. This can't turn into something real. The last thing she sees before she leaves the room is the look of betrayal on Emma's face. 

Tomorrow's Christmas, a time of happiness, love and family, but Regina has none of those things anymore. 

Footsteps thundering down the stairs are what wakes Regina, and for a second, she wonders why Emma hasn't come to see her yet. And then she remembers last night. She holds a pillow over her face and she hopes that maybe lack of air will stop her from seeing Emma's face as she walked away every time she closes her eyes. It doesn't, so Regina is left gasping for air, still only seeing Emma. 

A knock on her door startles her. "Come in!" she says, but is disappointed when it's Henry, and not Emma, who stands there. 

"C'mon, we're opening presents!" he exclaims and Regina tells him that she'll be down shortly. She doesn't want to go downstairs and watch Emma's perfect family open gifts, but what choice does she have? She is supposed to be Emma's loving girlfriend after all. 

She quickly gets dressed in black pants, a red blouse, and a leather jacket. She's about to walk out the door when she remembers something. She digs through one of her bags before pulling out a small, wrapped box. Inside it is a bracelet for Emma. She'd gotten it the day before the flight to Storybrooke, figuring that Emma's parents would suspect something if they didn't get each other gifts. She has no idea if Emma has gotten her anything, however. 

She heads downstairs and into the living room, where the entire family awaits her. She meets Emma's eyes and tries to convey an apology, but Emma looks away. Guilt naws at Regina's stomach as she takes a seat next to Emma on the couch, leaving some space between them. If David and Mary Margaret notice, they don't say anything. 

Presents are exchanged and everyone is happy except for Regina and Emma. After all the gifts from under the tree are given and Henry and Neal are playing with their new stash of Star Wars toys, Emma's parents turn to the two of them. 

"Now, Regina, we haven't known you for very long, but we do have something for you," Mary Margaret says, pulling out a wrapped present from under a couch pillow. 

"Oh, you didn't have to do this," Regina says and smiles at them graciously. She unwraps it, vaguely aware that Emma is looking over her shoulder. "Oh, wow," Regina breathes and holds it up for everyone to see. It's a picture of Emma and Regina smiling at each other at Granny's. "When did you guys take this?" 

"At the welcoming party two nights ago. Henry actually took it. It's a beautiful picture, and it's clear that you guys are so in love," Mary Margaret gushes, and Regina forces a smile. Emma takes it from her and studies it carefully. She smiles at the photo wistfully and longingly. 

"Thank you so much," Regina says and Mary Margaret gives her a hug. 

"Of course, dear. Welcome to the family," she says with a wink, and then ushers David to the kitchen, leaving Emma and Regina alone. 

"Emma, I'm sorry-"

"I got you something," Emma interrupts and holds out a gift bag. It's clear she doesn't want to talk about last night, even if Regina intends to apologize. 

"I got you something too," Regina says, handing her the wrapped box. Emma looks surprised, but accepts it. Regina pulls out a velvet case and opens it. It's a silver necklace, with a horse charm and an apple pendent. She chuckles as she traces the charms. 

"This is beautiful," Emma breathes, holding up a bracelet with a Swan charm. She puts it on immediately. "And, um, the horse was because you told us that you loved to ride horses. And the apple's because you like them, and you're the Evil Queen," she jokes. Regina is very touched that she remembered that she loved riding horses, and laughs about the apple. 

"I'm really sorry, Emma," she says. "I never should've said that it was a mistake. It wasn't, and I don't regret it at all." There's no expression on Emma's face, and Regina bites her lip nervously. 

"Why'd you say it then?" she asks, her voice cracking. Emma hates people seeing her vulnerable, but Regina has a way of making her feel that way. 

"Because this isn't real," Regina answers honestly, and Emma's face falls. She checks to make sure no one is around before she hurriedly explains. "Our relationship isn't real. I'm only here so you don't blackmail me and I don't lose my job. But last night, it _was_ real. We had sex-"

"Multiple times," Emma interjects. Regina glares at her and the blonde shuts up. 

"We had sex, and not for any other reason than because we wanted to. And that scared me, because that meant that something here was real. It meant that the way that I feel about you is real. But every other relationship that I've had has ended badly, so I thought that if I could convince myself that this wasn't real and that last night was a mistake, then you know, this wouldn't end badly." 

"So, how exactly do you feel about me?" Emma asks with a smirk and Regina slaps her arm playfully. "Um, so are you saying that you don't want this to be fake?" 

Regina thinks for a moment. "I'm saying that I'm attracted to you and I like having sex with you. But I guess I wouldn't be opposed to going on a real date." Emma beams so brightly that Regina swears she lights up the room and Emma's about to kiss Regina when Henry and Neal run into the room. 

"Regina! Come play with us," Henry says, and Emma gasps at them. 

"What about me?" Emma asks, indignant. "I'm your sister!" 

"Maybe, but she's way cooler than you," Neal informs her like it should be obvious and Regina sticks her tongue out at Emma. Emma jokingly rolls her eyes and pretends to be hurt. Regina shoots Emma one more victorious look before turning to the twins. 

"She hasn't even seen all the Star Wars movies!" Emma calls after them, but no one is listening. She walks out of the living room a few minutes later and the sight of Regina playing with her brothers while her parents make breakfast warms her heart. 

This might just be the best Christmas ever and there's still two days left after this one. 


	8. Home alone

"Okay, the food is ready," David announces, and Regina and the twins go sit at the kitchen table. Emma has already been sitting there for about ten minutes, still sulking about her brothers preference of Regina over her. 

Regina sits across from Emma, who can't help but feel relieved because this means that Regina won't try to fuck her under the table during Christmas breakfast with her parents right next to them. 

"We have cinnamon rolls, eggs, bacon, and toast. Regina, what do you want to eat?" Mary Margaret asks. Emma chokes on her own spit and turns bright red when Regina winks at her and mouths _you._

"Eggs sound lovely," Regina decides and David sets a plate full of scrambled eggs in front of her. Emma gets three cinnamon rolls and a stack of bacon, and the boys ask for a little bit of it all. When Mary Margaret and David finally sit down, everyone digs in. "Mm, this is really good," Regina says in between bites and grits her teeth when Emma practically moans after eating a cinnamon roll. 

"Emma, do you and Regina have any plans for today?" David asks.

"I don't think so," Emma answers. "Not many places are open today, so we might just hang around here if that's okay. Or we can drive around in my bug," Emma suggests, and laughs when Regina glares at her and shakes her head vehemently. 

"Sounds good. Henry and Neal are in the town play today, which starts at noon. They need to be there at eleven to get ready," Mary Margaret says and Emma stops eating. 

"You never told me they were in a play."

"We're two people in the background, it doesn't even matter," Henry says bitterly. 

"What play is it?" Regina asks. 

"A Christmas Carol. You guys don't have to come though. We're only in two scenes and we don't have any lines," Neal informs them. 

"We should still go see you," Emma says and Regina nods. 

"Why don't you and Regina just stay here? We've watched the rehearsal, you can barely even see Henry and Neal. You guys can stay home and have the whole house to yourselves," David says, and Emma blushes. "We'll take the boys over at eleven, and then just hang out until the play starts." 

"Are you sure?" Emma hates the thought of missing her brothers in a play, but the thought of Regina and her alone for about three hours sounds promising. 

"Yeah, it's fine Emma," Henry says and Neal agrees. Emma looks to Regina, who smirks. It's going to be a fun three hours. 

Once breakfast is done, the twins pull Regina into the living room and Emma follows them. She's kind of jealous that they like Regina more than her, but at the same time, Emma feels like Regina is the right person. Emma's family loves her and Emma's definitely starting to fall in love with her. 

"Have you seen this one?" Neal asks, holding up _Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith._

"Yeah, I actually really like that one," Regina responds. "Anakin looks so good in it." Emma scoffs and protests when Neal grins and puts the disc into the DVD player. Regina reaches over and squeezes Emma's hand. "Don't worry, dear. I only have eyes for you." 

Emma can't tell what's real and not real anymore after last night, so she just smiles at Regina. 

Regina sits on the couch and pulls a blanket over herself and Emma sits next to her. She shakes her head at Regina before the brunette touches her leg under the blanket and points to her brothers. Regina frowns, but doesn't push. 

Emma dozes off about half an hour into the movie and her head drops onto Regina's shoulder. She smiles fondly, snakes an arm around Emma, and pulls her closer. Being here with the twins and cuddling with Emma just feels right to Regina. 

The credits come on and the loud music wakes Emma, who snaps her head up and head butts Regina right in the chin. 

"Ow!" Regina yells and Emma curses. 

"I'm so sorry, Regina," Emma apologizes and Regina winces as she gingerly touches her chin. Henry laughs and Neal elbows him in the side. Henry shuts up. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Regina says, sounding a little annoyed. 

"I'm really sorry." 

"Emma, it's fine," Regina repeats, and Emma drops it. 

"Everything okay?" Mary Margaret asks, poking her head into the living room. Everyone nods. "Boys, it's time to go." Henry and Neal both smile at Regina and Emma before walking out with Mary Margaret. Regina and Emma don't move until they hear the garage door close. 

"So, we have the house to ourselves for three hours," Emma says. 

"Mm, yes," Regina drawls. Emma bites her lip when Regina steps closer. "Since I wasn't allowed to eat what I wanted earlier, I guess I'll just have it now." Regina's eyes are dark with desire and Emma shivers. "What are you thinking right now?" Regina asks when Emma doesn't say anything. 

"I was thinking about you. Last night. Licking whipped cream off your finger. And how much I want to lick whipped cream off your stomach while you moan my name," Emma answers honestly. She hasn't been thinking about much else since then. 

"My, my, Miss Swan," Regina purrs, simply delighted. "I'm sure I can make that happen. But right now, I am going to lay you on this couch and fuck you with my mouth." Emma whimpers. Hearing the older woman curse turns her on so much, and she thinks that Regina knows that. 

Emma holds her breath as Regina comes closer and stops when there's a fraction of an inch between them. She reaches down and unbuttons Emma's jeans and slips her fingers into Emma's underwear. 

"Fuck," Emma moans as Regina glides her hand through slick folds, and whines when Regina pulls her hand out of her pants. Emma's eyes go wide when Regina slides her fingers into her own mouth and groans at the taste of Emma. 

"Take your pants off," Regina orders, and Emma obeys without a word. "Get on the couch." She should've figured that Regina would be bossy, but she had no idea that it would arouse her so much. Emma sits on the couch and awaits Regina's next demand. "Open your legs." Emma does, and Regina kneels down in front of her. "Wow," Regina whispers. Emma is practically dripping for her. "I make you this wet?" Regina asks, running a finger up and down her slit. Emma whines. 

"You know you do," Emma replies breathlessly. "Please, Regina, don't tease me," she begs when the older woman plants kisses on her thighs. Regina chuckles before licking her hard. Emma's back arches off the couch and she moans loudly. It's a good thing no one is in the house. "Fuck, Regina, yes!"

Regina flicks her clit with her tongue and Emma cries out as Regina latches on and sucks. She lets out a stream of curses when Regina nips at the bud and then she goes back to licking at the sensitive flesh. Regina can feel Emma shaking against her, and smirks before thrusting her tongue inside her. Regina licks harder when Emma's thighs tighten around her, and she sucks on her clit again. 

Emma comes with a moan, panting. Regina kisses her and runs her hand through Emma's hair. 

"Shall we take this upstairs?" Regina murmurs against her lips. "I'd hate for us to ruin your parents' couch." 

All Emma can do is nod as she gets up and almost runs upstairs. She doesn't notice Regina hasn't followed until she's standing in her room alone. 

"Regina?" Emma calls out, and is relieved when she hears footsteps coming up the stairs. Regina walks into her room holding the can of whipped cream with a devilish smirk on her face. "Oh shit," Emma whispers. Regina sets the can down, throws off her leather jacket, and takes off her shirt, leaving her in only a lacy, black bra and jeans. She takes the canister, pops off the top, and stares into Emma's eyes as she sprays whipped cream onto her stomach and gasps at the feeling. Emma swallows hard. 

"Well, Miss Swan?" Regina says, raising an eyebrow. "What are you waiting for?" 


	9. The first date

"You know I love it when you call me that," Emma says in a low voice, walking toward Regina, who smirks. Emma drops to her knees in front of her and arousal runs through Regina. She's trembling and eagerly awaiting Emma's tongue on her.

"Oh, _mierda_ ," Regina breathes out when Emma runs her tongue over Regina's stomach, licking the whipped cream off her. Emma's eyes are dark as she takes the bottle from Regina's hand and sprays more cream onto the brunette's body. Her mouth is on Regina again before the older woman can say anything. "Emma, _ay Dios mío_ ," she groans, and Emma pauses to look up at her. 

"You're so fucking hot," Emma whispers, and then she's leaving scorching trails of heat all over Regina's skin with her tongue. Regina tangles her fingers into Emma's hair and pulls lightly, and the blonde moans against her stomach. Emma stands up and kisses Regina, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra. Regina bites her lip when Emma cups her breasts, and gasps when Emma sprays whipped cream on them. 

" _Solo follame por favor_ ," Regina says when Emma licks her breasts, and Emma moans. The brunette is too good at turning her on, even when Emma's the one fucking her. 

Regina gets impatient and takes matters into her own hands. She pushes Emma off her and slides down her pants, wearing only black, lacy underwear now. Emma pushes her against the wall and slides her hand into Regina's underwear, and god, Regina is soaked. 

"Oh, Regina," Emma says softly, before easily pushing a finger into her. Regina's head falls back against the wall when Emma brushes against her clit. 

"Emma, more," she begs and Emma slides another finger into her slick heat. "Oh, _fuck_ ," Regina curses and Emma kisses her hard. Regina likes it rough, and Emma finds this out when Regina comes with a loud cry after Emma bites down on her collarbone, pulls Regina's hair, and thrusts three fingers in her, hitting the spot _just_ right. 

"Wow," Regina says once she's finally caught her breath. 

"That was _insanely_ hot," Emma agrees. "Thanks for letting me do the whipped cream thing." 

"I'd return the favor, but I'm not too big on whipped cream," Regina says, and Emma gasps. 

"Whipped cream is _the_ best thing ever. I'd put it on everything if I could," Emma argues. "How do you not like it?" 

"Well, dear, it might be because, unlike you, I don't eat like a child," Regina sasses, and Emma smirks. "What?"

Emma doesn't say anything, just pushes Regina onto the bed, pulls down her panties, and spreads her legs. Emma kneels down and, without breaking eye contact, licks Regina's still wet center. Regina's eyes close tightly as her head hits the pillow. She whimpers when Emma sucks on her clit roughly and her hips buck up. Emma's fingers delve and thrust into her while her mouth is nibbling and sucking on her clit, and Regina comes again in less than two minutes. 

"Still think I eat like a child?" Emma asks as she flops onto the bed, and Regina moans. She's never come so hard once before, let alone twice. 

Emma gently strokes the side of Regina's face and Regina tilts her head toward Emma and smiles. 

"Um, I hate to ruin this moment," Emma begins. Regina groans and turns her face away. "I'm starving. Do you want anything to eat?" 

Regina props herself up onto her elbows and smirks at Emma. "Was I not enough for you?" The blonde curses and Regina raises an eyebrow. 

"If you don't stop flirting with me, I'm going to ravish you again," Emma warns. 

"I don't see the problem." 

"The problem is, I'm so hungry. And if I don't eat something soon, I think I might die," Emma says, and Regina snorts. 

"Don't be such a drama queen." 

"Oh, please, you're one to talk. Last night you put on a robe after you showered just to untie it one minute later for the sake of surprising me," Emma retorts. 

"And you were surprised, dear. You should've seen your face. It was way better than if I had just walked out of the bathroom naked." 

"I'm not saying that it wasn't awesome, I'm just saying that it was very dramatic. Anyway, please come eat with me? I'll make us something, it can be our _real_ first date. Or our second date, if we're counting eating together outside Granny's on the first night as a date." 

"That one doesn't count. And you can cook? When I said I'd go on a date with you, I was thinking of going to an actual restaurant, not having cereal in your house because that's probably the only thing you can make," Regina says, and Emma looks offended. 

"I can make more than cereal," Emma tells her, and Regina doesn't look impressed. "I can make sandwiches, grilled cheese, quesadillas, I can probably figure out how to make pasta. What do you want?" 

"I think you know what I want," Regina purrs, eyes raking over Emma's body. The blonde groans. 

"Stop flirting! It's so hard to walk away from you like this already!" She waves a hand, indicating Regina's naked form. "I am going to put on clothes, and then go downstairs to get something to eat. Please come with me." Regina's about to make a comment about how she'd _love_ to come with the blonde, just not downstairs, but then decides against it when she sees Emma's face. 

"Fine," Regina grumbles and locates her clothes, which are scattered around the room. 

Once they are both dressed, they head downstairs into the kitchen. Regina takes a seat at the table while Emma searches through cabinets. 

"I'm making grilled cheese. What do you want?" Emma asks, turning around with a loaf of bread. 

"I'll have grilled cheese, too," Regina says. Emma looks at her in amazement before making two grilled cheeses. Once they're done, Emma sets a sandwich in front of Regina and one at her own spot at the table. 

"Anything to drink?" 

"Milk, please," Regina requests, and Emma pours two glasses of milk. She gives Regina one and then sits down across from her. "I can't believe our first real date is in your house, eating grilled cheese."

Emma laughs. "Just how I pictured it," she jokes. 

"How did you picture it?" Regina asks, arching an eyebrow. Emma chews on her lip and takes a sip of milk. Regina sets the sandwich in her hands down and looks at the blonde woman expectantly. 

"Well, I was kind of hoping that one day you would need help carrying something to your office, and I'd offer to help. You'd say yes, and then once we got there, you'd ask me if I wanted a drink, and then we'd sit and talk for awhile. That was when I was still in your class, so I couldn't really see us going on an actual date," Emma says. "Or you'd see me in the library and come sit and talk with me, or we'd run into each other at a restaurant and you'd sit at my table due to the lack of available seating in the place."

"You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?" 

"I spent the better part of my sophomore year of college thinking about you, so yeah," Emma admits, rubbing her head. "I still spend a lot of time thinking about you."

"Well, Miss Swan, why didn't you say something? You could've asked me out when you weren't in my class anymore."

Emma's eyes widen and she looks hopeful. "Would you have said yes?"

"No." Regina's answer is blatant and not sugarcoated at all. 

Emma's face falls and Regina chuckles. "Why would you say that then?" Emma asks petulantly with a frown. Regina shrugs and takes a bite of the grilled cheese. _It's not terrible_ , she thinks as she chews, but she's never really liked grilled cheese. 

"I wanted to see the look on your face when I hinted that we could've been in a relationship years ago if you had just asked," Regina replies. 

"That was cruel," Emma mutters. 

"They don't call me the Evil Queen because I'm nice, dear." 

Emma rolls her eyes. "I never liked that nickname. Yeah, your class was really hard to pass, but also barely anyone in my grade was willing to even try. And you were really strict, but I think that's just because you needed to make a strong impression. It was your first year teaching and you were the youngest teacher the school has ever had by a lot, so I figured that you were just trying to show that just because you were young and pretty didn't mean you were going to put up with bullshit." 

"You got me down to the T," Regina says, and she's genuinely impressed. She had thought that every student at the school had assumed that bitchy and uptight were just part of Regina's personality. Emma's the first person to have seen through the act. 

"So I had a crush on you. Did you ever feel that way about me?" Emma asks, even though she knows the answer. 

"Emma, I was more concerned about earning respect than I was about preying on my students."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But you're only like five years older than me. You had to find some of us at least _somewhat_ attractive," Emma points out. Regina sighs. 

"I did not find any of the people in your grade attractive, and that includes you. I do not find any of my current students attractive. But now that you're no longer in my class, I can honestly say that I do find you attractive now." 

"Really?" Emma asks, and Regina hums in affirmative. The next few minutes are spent in silence, both of them eating. 

"What do you want to do when you graduate?" Regina asks. 

"I'm double majoring in law enforcement and english," Emma says and Regina motions for her to keep going. "Law enforcement, because I want to help people out, and english, because I've always loved to read." 

"I think you'd look hot in a cop uniform," Regina muses, and Emma turns bright red. "Mm, with a tie, and especially with handcuffs," she adds and Emma spews out the milk she was drinking all over the table and Regina smirks. 

"You're evil," Emma mutters. 

"You love it," Regina teases, and Emma scowls. 

Emma's just finished cleaning the milk off the table when the garage door opens. Regina looks at the microwave clock and finds out that it's 2:15. 

"This was a very fun first date," Regina says and leans in to kiss Emma before the rest of her family comes inside. Regina slides a hand up Emma's shirt and Emma grabs her arm, shaking her head. 

"I only kiss on first dates," Emma tells her, acting all serious. Regina pouts. 

"Emma, we've had sex over three times already." 

Emma shrugs and steps away from her girlfriend just in time for Mary Margaret to walk in. 

"How was the play?" Regina asks Henry and Neal who've just come into the room. 

"It was fine," Henry answers and grabs two packets of hot chocolate from the pantry. Neal starts rummaging through the fridge, looking for something. Emma takes a sip of her milk. 

"Hey, mom, where's the whipped cream?" Neal asks, and Emma chokes and starts hacking, while Regina just tries not to laugh. 


	10. Family

Regina spends the afternoon sitting outside, watching David and Henry take on Emma and Neal in a game of flag football. Mary Margaret lounges in a chair next to her, sipping on a glass of red wine. 

Emma scores a touchdown, slams the ball on the ground, and does an embarrassing victory dance while shouting "I did it!" to Regina. Regina gives her a thumbs up and Emma and Neal attempt a chest bump. It's awkward at best, and Regina laughs. 

"You two really love each other, huh?" Mary Margaret says and Regina turns to face her. The thought of loving Emma isn't as repulsive as it was at the beginning of the trip, and even though it's only been two and a half days, Regina has really begun to care for the blonde. 

"Yeah, she makes me really happy," Regina replies softly, and it's not a total lie. 

David jogs over to them after he and Henry have the ball, but don't score, completely out of breath. "Sub in for me, Regina," he gasps and hands her his flags. Regina bites her lip nervously and takes them and ties them around her waist. 

"I've never played football before," she admits and David pats her on the shoulder. 

"You're on defense right now. Just try to pull Emma's flag if she has the ball," he advises. She nods and walks out to the middle of the yard. Henry grins at her, and she tries to smile back. She has no idea what to do and she is almost positive she will mess up. 

"Down, set, hike!" Emma says, and Neal takes off running, Henry hot on his heels. Regina runs in front of Emma and lunges for her flags. Emma dodges her and Regina swipes at the air. "Go long, kid!" she yells to Neal and throws the ball, but it's knocked to the ground by Regina. Emma spins to her, looking just as shocked as Regina. 

David and Henry let out a whoop while Emma stares at Regina like it's the first time she's ever seen the other woman. Henry runs over and throws his arms around Regina and she laughs and hugs him back. 

"Did we win?" Regina asks once everyone's calmed down. Emma groans and picks up the ball. 

"The fact that you know absolutely nothing about football makes it so much worse," Emma says. "That was our first down. We have four tries to get past that tree." She points to a small tree at the end of their yard. "The score is tied, 42-42. We're playing to 49. Each touchdown is worth seven points because we can't kick for the extra point." 

"If they make it past the tree, they win," Henry translates at Regina's confused look. Great, now the entire game is riding on her basically. "Just get Emma's flag." 

Emma jumps up and down a few times and shakes out her arms and legs. "Down, set, hike!" Neal runs, and this time, so does Emma. Regina literally dives for the yellow flags on Emma's waist and her fingers grab onto them. She yanks as hard as she can and the belt with the flags comes off. 

"Yes!" Henry shouts, throwing his fist in the air and leaping off the ground. Regina triumphantly smiles and throws Emma's flags back at her. "Take that, Emma!" 

"Can I switch teams?" Neal asks as Henry laughs in his face. "This is so humiliating."

"You think?" Emma snaps. "How are you so good?" she demands and Regina shrugs innocently.

"I'm just perfect at everything," she simpers. 

"Or, Emma, you just suck," Henry suggests, and his sister glares at him while Regina laughs. Emma pulls Neal into a huddle, whispering furiously. "But, seriously, you're so good at this," Henry tells her. 

"Thank you. I've actually never played, but it's really fun. Especially watching Emma get so frustrated," Regina says, and smiles and waves at Emma, who is shooting her a pointed look. 

"Yeah, she's really competitive so getting beat by someone who's never played before really must hurt," Henry comments with a smirk. Regina had no idea that Emma's brothers would be so cool. 

"Okay, and break," Emma says, walking to stand across from Regina, who is looking very amused. "Down, set, hike!" Before Regina even registers what's happening, Emma has handed the ball off to Neal. Luckily, Henry's right there to snatch his twin's flags and Neal throws the ball back to Emma with a frustrated sound. 

"Fourth down," Henry sings happily and high fives Regina. 

"Dad, can you come back in the game?" Emma calls over to David, who laughs and shakes his head. She turns back to the game and frowns. They have one more chance before Henry and Regina have a chance to win, and she'll be damned if Regina comes into the game last minute and leads her team to victory. "Down, set, hike!" 

Neal runs as fast and far as he can and Henry is no match. Emma throws a Hail Mary and Regina isn't even close to getting her hand on the ball. Regina watches the ball go up and follows it as it falls right into Neal's outstretched arms - 

\- and it slips through his fingers and hits the ground. 

"YES!" Regina and Henry yell at the same time. Neal drops to his knees and stares distraughtly at his hands, while Emma just stands there. David and Mary Margaret are laughing at the expression on Emma's face, and Regina feels a pang in her heart. Being here right now, playing football with Emma and her family, it feels so _right_. It feels perfect and Regina wants to be a part of this family. 

Neal finally picks up the ball and tosses it to Henry, who still has the biggest grin on his face. Emma shakes her head when Regina and Henry line up across from them, like she can't believe that they didn't win. 

"Down, set, hike!" Henry says, and Regina takes off. She doesn't know how far to go, or when to turn around, or if Henry will even risk throwing the ball to her. "Regina!" Henry shouts and she spins on her heel. She, against all odds, catches the ball, but Emma quickly snatches her flags off before she can go further. She hasn't crossed the touchdown line, but she is still impressed that she managed to catch the football. "Nice!" Henry says and gives her another high five. 

"Second down," Neal says and claps his hands together. 

This time Henry runs with the ball, but only makes it a few feet before both Neal and Emma grab his flags. He motions for Regina to come closer and she bends down so that she's eye level with him. "I'm going to hand you the ball," he tells her and she nods. She knows Emma is faster than her, but maybe she will catch the blonde off guard. "Down, set, hike!" Henry gives Regina the ball, and she runs, but once again, only makes it a few feet before Emma pulls her flags. 

"Dammit," Regina mutters under her breath and tosses the ball back to Henry. 

"Fourth down," Emma announces gleefully. She's ready to have a chance to redeem herself. 

"Down, set, hike!" They haven't discussed a plan, so Regina just runs over the touchdown line and hopes for the best. Henry is dashing back and forth to avoid Neal pulling his flags, and he says a little prayer before throwing the ball. 

Regina has to jump with her arms in the air, and she knows she looks silly, but it's so totally worth it when she grasps the ball in her hands. 

"We win!" Henry screams and jumps into Regina's arms. They do a celebratory dance, and even though Emma is pissed that they lost, the sight of Regina and Henry spinning around while giggling happily makes Emma's heart melt. 

"I can't believe it," Neal grumbles and walks dejected over to his parents, who are grinning. 

"Next time, Regina's on my team," Emma announces, and Regina and Henry both scoff. 

"You wish, dear. Henry's the only one I want on my team," Regina informs her, and Henry laughs giddily. They walk inside together, and Emma walks over to where Neal is complaining to David about how unfair the teams were. 

"Regina's never played football before," David tells him, and Neal's mouth falls open. "If anything, it was unfair for them." 

"Oh, Emma, don't forget we're going over to Kathryn's for dinner tonight," Mary Margaret says, and Emma bites her lip. She hasn't told Regina. "We're going to leave around 6, so I would shower now and get ready." Emma spots the clock on the microwave. It's only 4:30. How long does her mom thinks it takes her to get ready? 

She finds Regina drinking water, leaning against a counter in the kitchen, listening to Henry recount the entire flag football game. She looks up when Emma walks in and Henry stops talking to find out what she wants. 

"We're having Christmas dinner at my parents' friends house and we're leaving in a hour and a half," Emma says. 

"Oh, god, I need to go shower, change clothes, and put on makeup. Ugh, I'm so gross and ugly right now." She's not joking, and Emma rolls her eyes. Has the woman seen herself? Regina could be covered in mud and dirt and would still be the hottest person Emma's ever seen.

"You're not ugly. You look very pretty right now," Henry says shyly and Emma playfully whacks him on the arm. 

"Hey, that's _my_ girlfriend," she tells him and Regina laughs and thanks him. She walks upstairs and picks out an outfit before jumping into the shower.

She feels clean and fresh when she gets out, and she puts on a blue dress and heels. She then opens up her makeup bag and gets to work. 

Ten minutes later, Regina is knocking on the door to Emma's room. The blonde opens it, and loses her breath. Regina looks so beautiful. She feels very underdressed, wearing only a sweater and dress pants, and Emma just figures that she will never be able to look better than Regina Mills. 

"So, who's house are we eating at?" Regina asks, still finding it strange that Emma's family isn't just having dinner by themselves. It is Christmas, after all. 

"Kathryn and Frederick Midas. My parents and them have been friends forever. We always go over to their house on Christmas," Emma says while dabbing on lipstick. "They're really nice people." Regina nods. 

It's 5:10 when they go downstairs, and Henry and Neal are watching a Christmas episode of _The Office._

"I love this show," Regina murmurs and sits on the couch. Emma plops down next to her and watches the television. _The Office_ is one of her favorite shows too, and she smiles when she sees Michael Scott. Once he left, the show wasn't as good. 

They watch the episode and then the next one before Mary Margaret yells to tell them that it's time to go. Regina is forced to ride in Emma's car because the truck isn't big enough for all of them, and she wishes she could teleport. Thankfully, Kathryn's house is not that far away, so Regina's time in the bug is short, just the way she likes it. 

The rest of the family waits for Emma and Regina to meet them at the front door before Mary Margaret presses the doorbell. Not five seconds later, the door is opened by a middle aged blonde woman. She has kind blue eyes and a warm smile. She steps to the side to let them in, embracing them one by one. 

"Kathryn, this is my girlfriend, Regina," Emma says, and Kathryn pulls Regina into a hug. 

"It's so nice to meet you!" she gushes. 

"Yeah, it's great to meet you too," Regina says. 

"Well, come on in! Frederick's just finishing the last bit of food up." Kathryn motions for everyone to follow her and Emma places her hand on Regina's lower back, gently pushes her forward, and gives her a reassuring smile. 

The kitchen is spotless and very nice, and the table is covered in bowls and plates of food. Frederick has blonde hair, green eyes, and a handsome face and he places one more dish on the table and turns to smile at everyone. 

"Hey, guys!" he says. Frederick shakes David's hand, hugs Mary Margaret and Emma, and tousles Henry and Neal's hair. 

"This is Regina, my girlfriend," Emma introduces and he holds out his hand. Regina shakes it. 

"Very nice to meet you."

"You, too," Regina says kindly. 

"Everyone, please take a seat. Dinner is served!" 

Regina sits across from Emma, who's mouth is watering. The food looks so delicious and Emma can't wait to dig in. She piles ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and bread onto her plate and starts eating. Regina, who is a bit more refined, fixes herself a plate of turkey, sweet potato casserole, and a roasted potato. 

Emma's parents and Kathryn and Frederick engage in small talk throughout the meal, but the twins and Emma and Regina just keep eating. Regina doesn't say a word all dinner, and before she knows it, it's time to leave. 

"Thank you, this was lovely," Regina says to Kathryn before being hugged. 

"It was great to meet you. Hopefully we'll see you next year. Maybe with a ring on your finger?" Kathryn whispers into her ear with a smile, and Regina blushes. She shrugs, and gives Frederick a hug too. 

"See, that wasn't so bad," Emma says to her once they're in her car, driving home. 

"No, it wasn't bad," Regina agrees. "The food was really good." Emma nods before glancing at Regina. Something seems off with the older woman, but Emma can't figure out what it is. 

When they walk inside, there's dessert on the kitchen table. "Yes!" Emma whispers happily before cutting herself a piece of pumpkin pie. Regina cuts a small piece of apple pie and they sit down at the table next to Neal and Henry. 

The next two hours are spent just laughing and talking at the table with everyone, and Regina thinks back to Kathryn hinting at a possible marriage between her and Emma. Regina really cares for Emma and she loves this family, but marriage? Regina doesn't even know if her and Emma are actually dating. But she can't help but feel like she belongs here, and she really wants to spend more time with Emma's family. But Regina knows that's only possible if she and Emma date for real. 

"Hey, you okay?" Emma says softly, touching Regina's arm. 

"Yeah, I'm just really tired. I think I'm going to go to bed," Regina tells everyone. Mary Margaret and David wish her a goodnight before Regina goes upstairs to Neal's room, strangely disappointed when Emma doesn't follow her. 

She changes into her pajamas, gets under the covers, and just stares at the wall on her side while trying to figure out what she wants. 

About thirty minutes later, Regina hears the door open. She doesn't move until the mattress dips and someone lays down next to her. 

"Emma, I'm really not in the mood for a booty call," Regina tells the blonde. 

"I'm not here for one." Before Regina can ask why she's here then, Emma drapes an arm over Regina and slides a leg between both of Regina's. Emma's spooning her, and Regina has never felt so safe, so content. Emma holds her tightly and Regina never wants Emma to let go of her. 


	11. The second date

Regina wakes up when Emma lets go of her and slides out of bed. She glances at the clock. It's not even 6:30.

"Emma, what are you doing?" Regina groans sleepily. "I really don't think your mom is going to be that upset if she knows you slept in here." 

"I'm going for a run. You should come with me," Emma says and Regina shakes her head and burrows under the covers tighter. 

"Never in a million years," Regina tells her. Running might be the worst thing ever and Regina hates it with a passion. She knows it keeps you healthy, but god, at what cost? Regina cannot stand the feeling of sweating everywhere while you can't breathe. 

"Please? It'll be fun, I'll even hold your hand," Emma offers, and Regina turns to look at her. The blonde is in way better shape than she is, and there's no way Regina would be able to keep up with her. 

"Why, so you can literally drag me along with you? I'm not running," Regina states, and that's that. Emma leaves the room and Regina goes back to sleep, missing Emma's arms around her. 

Thirty minutes later, Regina is once again woken up by the blonde, only this time, it's because Emma strokes Regina's face until the brunette opens her eyes. Regina sits up and blinks for a second before she realizes where she is. 

"Emma, it's 7 o'clock," she whines, but stops talking when she sees that the blonde is wearing only a sports bra and leggings. Emma's delicious six pack is on display and Regina's eyes darken. She leans in to initiate a kiss, but instantly recoils. "You smell terrible," Regina says matter-of-factly. 

"Hey!" Emma sounds offended, but then sniffs herself. "Oh, god, you're right. I'll be back."

"This is why people shouldn't run!" Regina calls after her. Emma rolls her eyes and leaves the room. Regina hears the shower turn on down the hall and she tries to fall back asleep, but can't. Regina sighs and rolls out of bed. She picks out pants and a silky blue top, gets dressed, and heads downstairs. Mary Margaret is the only one down there, and she's sitting at the kitchen table reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee. Regina can't imagine why this town needs a newspaper; not much seems to be going on in Storybrooke. 

"You okay, Regina?" Emma's mom asks her when she sits down at the table. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." The response is almost automatic. 

"You left kind of abruptly last night," Mary Margaret says, wanting an explanation. Regina can't tell her that it was because she realized she might be falling for real for Emma, so she hastily thinks of an excuse. 

"I was just really tired." It's a classic lie, and hopefully understandable because she did join into the flag football game. 

"You and Emma must have been pretty busy while we were gone, then. Playing football for fifteen minutes isn't that hard." Mary Margaret is smirking, and Regina goes red. She shakes her head adamantly while Emma's mom just laughs. "It's okay, dear. I'm aware that Emma is engaging in sexual activities, and just as long as it's safe, I'm completely okay with it. I'd be a hypocrite if I wasn't, why just last night, David and I-"

"Oh, I just remembered. I forgot to brush my teeth and I hate morning breath, you know?" Regina interrupts and practically sprints upstairs so she doesn't have to hear the rest of the sentence. While she's happy that Emma's mom feels comfortable enough around her to say stuff like that, Regina has no desire to hear it. 

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Emma jokes when Regina almost runs straight into her. 

"Your mother just tried to talk to me about her and your father's sex life," Regina tells her, and Emma squirms uncomfortably. 

"I am _so_ sorry." 

"I can never get that out of my head," Regina says and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Every time I close my eyes now I'm going to see them doing it," Regina moans and shakes her head. Emma takes her hand. 

"How about I make you forget about it?" Emma offers with a hinting smile.

"Why, Miss Swan," Regina tuts. "What did you have in mind?" Even though they're in the middle of the hallway, Emma pulls her close and kisses her. It quickly becomes heated, but before Regina can press her against the wall and shove her hand down Emma's tight jeans, she hears a squeak. 

Emma and Regina jump apart to see Henry standing there, looking shocked. 

"Henry!" Regina exclaims, and the boy covers his eyes, backs into his room, and shuts the door. 

"Let me know when you're finished!" he yells. "Neal, they were making out," Henry says quieter, but Emma and Regina can still hear him. Regina groans and Emma wraps her arms around her while chuckling. 

"God, I'm no better than your mother," Regina whispers against Emma's neck. The blonde shivers at Regina's hot breath. Emma rubs her arm on Regina's bicep to make her feel better, and a minute later, the brunette steps out of the embrace. "Can we get out of here? If I have to be in one more awkward situation with your family, I think I might die of embarrassment." 

"Now who's the dramatic one?" Emma asks and Regina rolls her eyes. "Do you want to go to Granny's? They make the best bear claws ever." 

"That sounds great. Let me just grab a jacket." Regina grabs her overcoat and tugs it on and follows Emma downstairs. 

"Mom, Regina and I are going to Granny's for breakfast, do you want anything?" Emma says once they've entered the kitchen. Mary Margaret just shakes her head without looking up from the daily paper and takes another sip of coffee. Emma shrugs and they walk to the garage. 

"I don't understand why you like this metal coffin on wheels so much," Regina grumbles when Emma skips over to her car. While she's warmed up to Emma, Regina doesn't think she will ever begin to like the yellow bug. "Can't we take the truck?"

"Cheer up, babe," Emma says to Regina's pout. "This is our second real date." The thought does make Regina lighten up, but she wonders if they will ever be able to have a normal relationship. Regina was Emma's fake girlfriend first, and then they had sex multiple times, and now they're dating, kind of. So are they real girlfriends? "And it's at an actual restaurant," Emma adds after a moment. 

Regina smiles at her and gets in the car. Despite how she felt coming into this, she really likes Emma and her family a lot now, so why is she trying to figure out what's between them? She should just ask the blonde to be her real girlfriend, or at least talk to her about how she feels. 

"You good?" Emma asks. While Regina is physically in the car with her, it seems like her mind is worlds away. Emma also noticed that last night at dinner that Regina was distant. It hurts Emma, especially because they leave for Washington tomorrow. They had something good going it seemed, but maybe Regina has changed her mind about the two of them. Maybe the brunette just wants to forget about this whole thing when they get home. 

"Yeah," Regina answers, but doesn't elaborate. Emma bites her lip, feeling the tension between them. 

They don't speak at all to each other until they've slid into booths at Granny's. They order their food and Regina drums her fingernails on the table while she tries to figure out what to say. Their date yesterday was so easy, but now they are both nervous, unaware of what the other is thinking. 

"So, we leave tomorrow," Emma says neutrally after the silence has gone on too long. She figures it's a safe way to begin the conversation. 

"Yeah," is all Regina says again, and Emma purses her lips. The brunette is very hard to read, and Emma can't tell if she's excited or sad, or if she feels anything at all. Emma slouches down into the cushion and looks at the table. Regina takes a deep breath and Emma's head snaps up, begging her to say something. "This has been fun." Regina looks like she wants to say more, but doesn't. 

And Emma's angry. These past days have been the best of her life, but to Regina, it was just a fun experience. After the sex, after last night, after everything, how can the brunette not be affected? 

Granny comes back with the food. A bear claw and hot chocolate for Emma, and two pieces of toast for Regina. They both murmur their thanks and begin eating, even though Emma isn't hungry. 

"You can just call me when you want to cash in the favors," Emma says once she's finished her pastry. If this means nothing to Regina, than Emma can sure as hell act like it means nothing to her either. 

Regina's forehead wrinkles. "What?" 

"You know, the favors I owe you for coming with me?" 

Regina smiles tightly and nods. She doesn't want the favors but apparently Emma doesn't want anything between them after this. It seems a little out of character for the blonde after everything that's happened, but maybe Regina's been misreading the situation since the beginning. The thought pains her and Regina puts down her half eaten toast. She's not hungry anymore. 

Emma slaps a twenty dollar bill on the table. "Are you ready?" she asks, her heart squeezing with every word. This was supposed to be their second date, but it feels like more of a break up. Regina nods and they stand up and walk out. 

"Emma?" Regina says, stopping in her tracks before they get to the car. Emma floods with hope as she turns around. 

"Yeah?"

"What's going to happen to us when we get back to Washington?" There's desperation in her voice, and Emma thinks that maybe they have a chance after all. 

"What do you want to happen to us?" Emma asks, her heart racing. She wants to ask her to be her real girlfriend, but decides to let Regina call the shots. Maybe Regina wants something completely different than a relationship. Maybe she never wants to see the blonde again. 

Regina opens her mouth to pour out her feelings, but chickens out. "Oh, um, I don't know," she says softly and Emma almost cries. Why can't they just seem to talk to each other? They've had no trouble communicating their desires before, why is this so hard? Even this morning, they were laughing and talking so easily. It was all great until Emma mentioned their second real date. Regina had said that she wouldn't be opposed to going out with Emma, but just now she seemed miserable. 

They're sitting in the car when Emma sneaks a look at Regina, and to her surprise, it looks like the brunette is blinking back tears. 

"Regina?" she asks, very concerned. Regina sniffs and wipes her eyes. 

"Allergies," she says without looking at Emma. The blonde wants to yell "bullshit" and force Regina to tell her what she's thinking, but Emma can't find it in her to do that. It breaks her heart to start driving home, but she does it anyway.

What is wrong with them? 


	12. Making up

"Are you guys in a fight or something?" Henry asks Regina. They're sitting on the couch watching _Star Wars: The Last Jedi_ and Emma has just left to go to the bathroom. 

"What? No, why, what makes you say that?" Regina feels that she and Emma have done a good job covering up the tension between them, but apparently Emma's twelve year old brother is way more perceptive than Emma's parents are. 

He shrugs. "You guys are just sitting next to each other and you both seem very stiff and closed off, I guess. The past few nights you've been snuggling under a blanket and now you're barely even looking at each other." 

Regina bites her lip, unsure if she should really tell Henry what's going on. "We're just in a bit of a rough patch," she tells him vaguely. "We're just having a hard time communicating what we want. But it's okay, couples aren't perfect. We'll be fine so you really shouldn't worry." She regrets saying that couples aren't perfect, because Henry's parents sure seem to be perfect and very much in sync with each other. 

Henry frowns. "Why don't you just tell her how you feel?" 

It's ridiculous that Regina is talking about her fake girlfriend problems with a twelve year old boy, but he does have a good point. "I'm afraid that I want more than she does," Regina admits and chews on the inside of her cheek. "I'm just not sure if she feels the same as I do." 

Henry actually laughs. "What?" Regina demands defensively. 

"Have you seen the way she looks at you?" Henry says incredulously. "She's so in love with you! She one hundred percent feels the same way about you as you feel about her. I don't know how you don't see it. She looks at you like..." he trails off, and Regina motions for him to keep going. 

"Like you're my everything," Emma whispers from behind them. Regina whirls around on the couch to see the blonde leaning against the wall with a sad smile on her face. "Can we talk?" she asks, and Regina nods. 

"Just tell her how you feel," Henry says wisely, and Regina reaches over and tousles his hair. 

"You're pretty amazing, you know that?" Regina says fondly, and follows the blonde out of the living room and upstairs to her room. "Did you hear all of that?" Regina asks Emma. 

"Yeah. Who knew my brother has such an old soul?" she remarks in wonder. Regina laughs. "So, how do you feel about me?" 

Regina takes both of Emma's hands in hers and squeezes them. "I really like you, Emma," she says, and Emma's smile lights up the room.

"Really?" 

"I really like you, and I love your family, and I want this to be for real. I'm sorry I've been so distant lately, I've just been thinking about everything, and what it means for us, and what _I_ want for us, and Emma, I want to be with you so bad. You make me so happy, and being here, with your family, I feel finally at home," Regina's crying at this point, and so is Emma. "I know it's only been four days, but I genuinely think that I love you, Emma Swan." 

"I think that I love you too, Regina Mills," Emma sobs and kisses Regina softly, tasting the salty mix of their tears on her lips. 

"Will you be my real girlfriend?" Regina asks once they've broken apart. 

"Yes!" Emma answers enthusiastically and pulls Regina into another kiss. This kiss is gentle and tender, and neither of them wants to be the first to step away. Emma moans when Regina sucks on her bottom lip and then bites it, smirking against Emma's mouth. 

Regina stops kissing Emma, who begins to protest, but stops when she feels Regina's lips brush her neck. Regina nibbles and sucks on her pale skin, and Emma tangles her fingers in Regina's short hair and lays her head back against the wall. 

"Hey, Emma - oh my god!" Regina leaps away from Emma like she's been burned and turns to see David standing there, the door wide open, his jaw almost hitting the ground. 

"Hey, dad," Emma says, smoothing down her hair. "What's up?" Her voice is calm, like her father didn't just walk in to see Regina sucking on her neck. 

David closes his eyes tightly and makes a face. He takes a deep breath. "Your mother wanted me to ask you if you guys are okay with going to Granny's for lunch. We're leaving in fifteen minutes." 

"We had Granny's for breakfast," Emma says and Regina shoots her a glare. 

"That sounds great," Regina tells him. "Just get something else to eat besides a bear claw," she says to Emma and David leaves and closes the door. As soon as he's gone, Emma cracks up and Regina rolls her eyes. 

"His face, oh my god," Emma gasps while still laughing. "He looked so shocked!" 

"I'm glad you think that this is hilarious," Regina hisses. "I'm just surprised that he didn't threaten to kill me!" Emma's laughter finally dies down and she holds out a hand for Regina. She takes it and smiles at Emma. 

"Just think of it as payback for what happened with my mom this morning." 

"Okay, but they're so not on the same scale. She didn't actually say anything about her sex life, she was about to. But your dad walked in as I was kissing your neck," Regina points out, and Emma nods thoughtfully and then shrugs.

"Either way, everyone's even now." 

"It is _not_ even because your mom could try to talk to me about it a second time while I can never look your dad in the eye ever again!" Regina protests, and Emma shuts her up with a kiss. Regina moans, very surprised, but kisses her back nonetheless. 

"We should go downstairs now," Emma says, but neither of them move. They're gazing at each other and Regina tucks a piece of blonde hair behind Emma's ear and smiles fondly.

Mary Margaret yells to tell them that they're leaving, so Emma and Regina reluctantly head downstairs and get into Emma's car. 

"What, no complaints?" Emma asks when Regina doesn't make any comments about her bug. Regina smiles and kisses the blonde's hand. 

"Not right now. I'm too happy to care that we might die right now in this death trap." Regina laughs and Emma rolls her eyes. She should've seen that one coming because she knows now that Regina will never be too happy to insult her car. 

They don't say much on the ride there, but instead of tension like earlier, they sit in comfortable silence. They smile at each other when they get there, and Regina sits next to Emma in the booth. 

"I feel like I'm having déjà vu," Granny jokes when she comes over to take their orders. Emma orders a grilled cheese, and Regina finds it ironic how the other woman has a problem with going to the same place twice, but will willingly eat the same thing two days in a row. Regina and Mary Margaret just get a salad, Henry and Neal both get burgers, and David gets ribs. 

Henry has just started telling a story about something that happened one day when Regina starts tracing circles on Emma's leg underneath the table. She watches as the blonde bites her lip and smirks when her hand skates higher. She silently curses the blonde for always wearing jeans, but to be fair, they do make her ass look great.

Emma's legs open wider and Regina tries to look focused on Henry's story as she brushes her fingers against the apex of Emma's thighs. Emma lets out a low groan, but luckily, no one notices it. Regina wishes Emma would unbutton her jeans, but she knows that would be dangerous as Mary Margaret is seated on the other side of Emma. She smirks to herself when she figures out a way to fuck Emma without anyone knowing. 

"I'm going to the restroom," she announces, meeting Emma's eyes meaningfully. She hopes that Emma understands what she's trying to say, and gets up and goes to the bathroom. Two minutes later, Emma walks in and Regina shoves her into the wall and kisses her hard. The thrill of being caught and Regina yanking down her jeans turns Emma on so much that she's already dripping wet by the time Regina runs a finger through slick folds. 

Regina pulls back for a moment to flip her hair out of her face and then she's back on Emma, kissing her with bruising force and thrusting two fingers inside her. Emma moans loudly into Regina's mouth.

"Careful," Regina husks. "We wouldn't want your mother to come in right now and see her only daughter being _fucked_." Emma groans and Regina bites down on her neck, thrusting her fingers into the blonde harder. 

"Regina, please," Emma whimpers. She's so close, and all it takes is Regina's fingers circling her clit three times for her to come undone. "Jesus Christ, Regina," Emma says, still gasping. Regina looks pretty pleased with herself, but lets out a squeak when Emma picks her up and places her on the sink. Regina's eyes are almost black with lust as she and Emma work together to get her pants off. Regina shifts to the edge of the counter so that it's easier for Emma to get on her knees between Regina's legs. 

"Oh, fuck, Emma," Regina says when Emma's tongue licks between her folds. Emma easily slides two fingers into Regina and her mouth sucks on her clit, and Regina has to dig her teeth into her lip to stop from moaning. Regina chants Emma's name as the blonde adds another finger and bites gently at her clit and Regina grabs tightly onto Emma's hair. 

"Mm, Regina, you feel so good," Emma says, and Regina gasps. Emma looks thrilled at the discovery that dirty talk arouses the older woman. "You taste delicious, and you're so fucking tight and wet." 

"Emma," Regina moans not so quietly, feeling tension build in her lower stomach. Emma sucks on her clit roughly and aims her fingers so they hit the spot just right, but that's not what does it for Regina. 

Emma whispering "Come for me, baby" is what does it, and Regina's back arches as she comes hard on the sink of a restaurant. Once Regina has gotten down from her high, they both wash their hands, get dressed, and finger-brush their hair in the mirror. Emma wipes Regina's lipstick off her mouth and Regina attempts to fix her makeup. 

"You guys okay? You were in there for awhile," Mary Margaret says, and the instant she says it, she gets it. Her eyes widen and Regina and a bright red Emma slide into the booth and clear their throats. 

"What? What happened? What's going on?" Neal asks, Henry looking just as confused. 

"Nothing," David says quickly before Emma can say something. Neal looks at Henry, who shakes his head and shrugs. 

"Please tell me you at least washed your hands," Mary Margaret mutters to Emma, who nods. 

Under the table, Regina laces her fingers through Emma's, and Emma smiles lovingly at her. She's so glad that they're okay. 


	13. Leaving Storybrooke

Regina's just changed into her pajamas when Emma walks into the room without knocking. 

"Emma, I could've been naked," Regina scolds and Emma smirks. 

"I wouldn't have minded one bit," she says truthfully and kisses her. "Besides, you would've known that it was me even if I did knock, so _therefore_ , knocking on the door was unnecessary. And it's not like I haven't seen you naked before."

"It's still a common curtesy. Knocking gives the person a warning, something I did not have when you walked in here."

Emma rolls her eyes and huffs. "Yeah, yeah, it's good manners, whatever. Anyway, I came to remind you that our flight is at noon tomorrow, and we're leaving at ten." 

Regina pulls up her calendar on her phone. "It's been in here since the day you asked me to be your fake girlfriend. It was all I was looking forward to a week ago."

"And now?" 

"And now I want to throw you on this bed and -"

"Hey, that's my bed you're talking about," Neal says from the hallway, and Regina's face looks like a tomato. So far today, Mary Margaret has tried to talk to her about her sex life, David caught her and Emma earlier, and her parents know that they had sex in the bathroom at lunch. And now Neal almost overheard Regina explicitly describing how she wants to fuck his sister. Thank god he said something before Regina continued. 

"You were saying?" Emma prompts once Neal walks away, and Regina buries her face in her hands with a groan. The moment is gone, and Regina feels guilty now even just laying on the bed. 

"I was saying that now I want to throw you on this bed and cuddle," Regina says, and Emma frowns. "Emma, we're not having sex in your brother's bed." It takes a lot of willpower to put her foot down, but she can't have another member of Emma's family look at her the way David and Mary Margaret have been. 

"Then let's go to my room," Emma offers. "I have no problem having sex in my bed." 

"Your brothers are in the room right next to yours, and your parents' room is right down the hall. Absolutely not. Come on, let's just cuddle again," Regina pleads and Emma closes her eyes tightly. 

"I just want you to know that I am quite turned on right now, but because I like you so much and because I don't want my family to hear your moans, I will agree to cuddling," Emma grits out. Regina stifles a laugh at the look of pain on the blonde's face. 

"My moans? You're pretty loud too, _Miss Swan_ ," Regina retorts, putting emphasis on the title for the sole purpose of watching Emma shudder. Emma glares and Regina looks at her innocently and slides under the covers. She pats the space next to her and Emma doesn't hesitate. 

This time Regina is the big spoon, and Emma snuggles deeper into her arms. 

Regina's hand brushes over Emma's breast, and Emma groans. 

"My god, you are turned on, aren't you?" Regina asks and Emma nods. She drags her hand down Emma's side and rubs circles on her hips. The blonde pushes back against Regina, and the brunette dips her hand into Emma's pants. She can feel her wetness through her underwear and Emma whimpers. 

"I thought you said we weren't having sex in my brother's bed," Emma whispers and almost cries when Regina withdraws her hand. 

"Oh, you're right. Guess we better stop then," Regina says and Emma grabs Regina's wrist and leads it back to her. Regina smirks into the blonde's hair and this time, reaches her fingers into Emma's panties and strokes her. "Do you want me to tell you what I was going to say earlier before Neal interrupted?" Her voice is velvet and smooth, and it is so arousing. 

"Yes," Emma chokes out while Regina slowly draws circles around her clit. 

"I was going to say that I would throw you on the bed and order you to strip down. I'd start by kissing your neck, and eventually move down to your chest, and then to your heavenly abs. I'd trace the outline of each muscle, biting each one, marking you, so that you know that _you are mine."_ She thrusts hard into Emma when she says those last words, and Emma has to hold a hand over her mouth to keep from moaning out. Regina slips a hand into her own pants and almost groans at how wet she is. "And then, I'd lower myself in front of you and pause right before I dive into your delicious heat. I wouldn't start fucking you until you begged me. And you would beg me, and I'd eat you out, and everyone in this entire town would hear you." 

Emma is biting so hard on her lip that she tastes blood. She is _so_ close.

"I'd bring you right to the edge and keep you there," Regina says breathlessly. She pauses for a moment to suck on Emma's earlobe. "And then I'd switch to fucking you with my fingers so I could tell you how hot you were, and exactly how good you felt, with your tight walls gripping my fingers." Emma whimpers and Regina slides a third finger into her. Regina is very close herself, and knows she won't last much longer. "I'd fuck you so hard, and then I'd suck on your clit, and you would come so hard for me. _Ven por mí,_ Emma," Regina says, and Emma falls over the edge, Regina following quickly behind. 

"That was insanely hot," Emma murmurs and rolls over to see Regina just out of breath as she is. "Did you come too?" 

"Dirty talk really turns me on," Regina admits, confirming Emma's thoughts from the bathroom earlier, and Emma kisses her. 

"I'll keep that in mind," Emma says. "Now, let's cuddle." Regina smiles and curls her body around the blonde, and they're both asleep in a few minutes. 

Regina wakes up to Emma sucking on her neck and Regina groans. As much as she'd love to have morning sex with Emma, she still has to pack everything and she wants to eat breakfast here because airplane food isn't great. It's 8 o'clock, and even though she has plenty of time, she doesn't want the younger woman distracting her. 

"Emma, I have stuff to do," Regina whines and Emma bites gently on her collarbone before reluctantly letting the brunette go. She sits up and watches as Regina folds her clothes neatly and places them in the bag. 

"You know, there's a much easier way to do that," Emma says and just tosses one of Regina's shirts into the suitcase. Regina gives her the side eye and picks up the shirt that Emma just threw and folds it. 

"You really need to learn how to pack your clothes nicely and be remotely organized." 

Emma scoffs. "I shove all my clothes in my bag, and then when I get home, I shove them either in a drawer or I just throw them into my closet. The clothes don't care." 

"God, why do I like you?" Regina asks and Emma pretends to look hurt. "You're literally a child." 

"I am not. Now, while you finish packing your suitcase like an old lady, I'm going to go downstairs before Henry and Neal eat all the cinnamon rolls." Emma haughtily struts out of the room so she can get the last word and Regina rolls her eyes. 

When Regina gets downstairs, she sees that Henry and Neal have not eaten all the cinnamon rolls, and that Emma is currently scarfing one down, with three more on her plate. "You are going to have a heart attack," Regina tells her matter of factly. Emma sticks her tongue out at her. 

"One of these was supposed to be for you, but since you clearly don't want one, I'm more than happy to eat it myself," Emma says, and Henry snorts. 

"I'm sure you are," Henry mutters under his breath and Neal laughs. 

"All you eat is grilled cheese, cinnamon rolls, and bear claws. How are you so skinny?" Regina marvels. 

"I work out," Emma states, her mouth full of food, and Regina winces at the sight of a chewed up cinnamon roll. Henry and Neal both nod, confirming this.

Mary Margaret walks into the kitchen and pours herself a cup of coffee with a yawn. David comes in behind her, his hair looking mussed up. Emma's parents glance at each other and share a secret smile, and Regina makes a face. She doesn't want to think about Mary Margaret and David, and for a moment, an image of the two of them haunts her brain. She shivers. 

"Are both of you packed?" David asks once he's stopped making eyes at his wife. Emma and Regina nod. "Sweet." 

There's still about a hour and a half left before they have to leave, and Emma suggests a rematch of flag football. Even though Regina hates the thought of being smelly and gross on the plane, she immediately agrees when she sees Henry's hopeful face. 

The game is just as fun as it was two days ago, and Regina and Henry quickly take the lead after Henry intercepts the ball on Emma and Neal's second down and returns it for a touchdown. Regina cheers and claps and Henry bows. 

"Can we please mix up the teams?" Neal grumbles. 

"Nope!" Henry says gleefully, dancing in a circle around his twin. Regina throws the ball to Emma with a grin. 

"Down, set, hike!" Emma says, and she takes off running. Her flag slips through Regina's fingers, but luckily, Henry's there. Emma tries to juke him out by faking right and then sprinting to the left, but Henry anticipates the move and pulls Emma's flags off. Regina and him high five, and Neal complains about how bad his sister is. 

They play for an hour and fifteen minutes, switching up the teams every time someone got to 49, before David comes to get Emma and Regina. 

"Bye, Henry," Regina says and he gives her a bear hug. "For the record, I liked it best when you were on my team," she whispers in his ear and Henry grins at her. 

"See you next year?" he asks hopefully. Regina laughs and ruffles his hair. 

"I really hope so," she answers truthfully. She moves onto Neal, who also throws his arms around her. "Thanks for letting me stay in your room," Regina says. 

"Thanks for not doing anything in my room," he replies, and Regina nods, biting her lip, thinking of this morning. "I hope you come back next year. You're so much cooler than Emma." He says it louder than he intends to, and Emma overhears and scowls. 

Emma hugs the twins while Mary Margaret pulls Regina in for an embrace. This time, Regina leans into it and hugs Emma's mom back. "Take care of her," she breathes. 

"I will," Regina promises with a smile. Emma walks over and hugs her mom goodbye, and then takes Regina's hand. 

"You ready?" Emma asks. Regina turns and waves to Emma's brothers. They wave back, identical grins on their faces. 

"Yeah, I'm ready. Thank you so much for everything," Regina tells Mary Margaret. "I hope I can come back next year." Emma's mom smiles and nods. Regina takes a deep breath, and she and Emma get into David's truck. The older woman watches the house fade away as they drive to the airport. She can't help but feel nervous, but at least she is with Emma now. 

***

"And we're back home," Emma says when they step off the plane in Washington. The flight had been so boring that Regina had given in and started watching _Friends_ with Emma on her laptop. She still doesn't think it's funny. 

"It seems like we've been gone forever." Regina had started missing Emma's family from the moment David had dropped them off at the airport, but she still has Emma. "I'm really glad everything worked out. You know, with the whole fake girlfriend thing and all."

Emma smiles. "Yeah, it worked out so well that my fake girlfriend is now my real girlfriend." Regina looks very impressed. 

"Sounds like you had a pretty good Christmas," Regina teases and Emma laces her fingers with the brunette's and hums in agreement. 

"I did. I got everything I wanted," Emma informs her. 

"And what was it that you wanted?" Regina asks and Emma kisses her lightly. 

"All I wanted for Christmas was you," Emma says, and Regina knows, without a doubt, that she is in love with Emma Swan. 


	14. One year later

One year later, Emma and Regina are back in Storybrooke on Christmas morning, exchanging gifts with Emma's family. Emma has been so grateful for Regina this entire year, and she's never been happier. 

After everyone has given gifts, Emma stands up and clears her throat. Mary Margaret shoots her a thumbs up and Emma smiles nervously. 

"I actually have one more gift to give," she says and holds a hand out to Regina, who takes it. Emma pulls her up, and reaches into her pocket and takes out a small velvet box. Regina gasps. "Regina, one year ago, I blackmailed you into being my fake girlfriend."

" _Blackmailed_?" David asks incredulously. 

" _Fake_ girlfriend?" Snow squeaks. Regina purses her lips; they haven't told Emma's parents the real story of how they got together, but she supposes now is as good as time as ever. Emma glares at them, and they shut up. 

"Regina, one year ago, I blackmailed you into being my fake girlfriend, and over the course of the five days here, I fell completely in love with you. You make me feel so alive, and I honestly can't believe that you love me too, but babe, you make me so happy. Henry said last year when we were in a bit of a rough patch that I looked at you like you were everything, and that's because I don't know how else to look at you. You are my everything." Emma pauses and a tear slips down Regina's face. Emma gets down on one knee and opens the box. It's a ring, and it's beautiful. "Regina Mills, will you make me the happiest person in the universe and marry me?" 

Regina nods. "Yes, oh my god, a million times yes," she sobs, and Emma jumps up and kisses her deeply. Regina makes a sound somewhere between a laugh and a hiccup and Emma slides the ring on her finger. Mary Margaret and David give them both long hugs, and then the twins high five Emma and throw their arms around Regina. 

"Welcome to the family!" Henry says. 

"Who's taking whose last name?" Neal asks, and Emma and Regina glance at each other. 

"I was thinking we go with Swan-Mills," Emma admits and Regina smiles. David and Mary Margaret nod approvingly. 

Regina pulls Emma to her. "Well then, I love you, Emma Swan-Mills." Emma kisses her. 

"And I love you, Regina Swan-Mills." 

Emma really hadn't been sure that everything was going to work out with the fake dating a year ago, but even though they have a conversation with her parents ahead of them, everything worked out pretty okay in the end. 

All she knows is that she has Regina, and Regina has her, and she is never going to let go. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading, and please let me know what you think! I hoped you all enjoyed :)


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